


Hollywood Undead One-Shots

by The_Undead_One



Category: Hollywood Undead (Band)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Gay, Multi, One Shot, One Shot Collection, One-Sided Relationship, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:54:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 27,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28181988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Undead_One/pseuds/The_Undead_One
Summary: This is my first work posted on this website; however, this is not my first fanfiction or story I've written! So, that being said, I really hope you enjoy. If you do, well, you know what to do :)
Relationships: Aron Erlichman | Deuce/Daniel Murillo | Danny, Daniel Murillo | Danny & George Ragan | Johnny 3 Tears, Daniel Murillo | Danny/Jordon Terrell | Charlie Scene, Dylan Alvarez | Funny Man/Daniel Murillo | Danny, Dylan Alvarez | Funny Man/George Ragan | Johnny 3 Tears, Dylan Alvarez | Funny Man/Jordon Terrell | Charlie Scene, Dylan Alvarez | Funny Man/Jorel Decker | J-Dog, George Ragan | Johnny 3 Tears/Jordon Terrell | Charlie Scene, Jorel Decker | J-Dog/Daniel Murillo | Danny, Jorel Decker | J-Dog/George Ragan | Johnny 3 Tears, Jorel Decker | J-Dog/Jordon Terrell | Charlie Scene, Matthew Busek | Da kurlzz/Jordon Terrell | Charlie Scene
Comments: 9
Kudos: 16





	1. Going After The New Kid (J3T/DM)

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first work posted on this website; however, this is not my first fanfiction or story I've written! So, that being said, I really hope you enjoy. If you do, well, you know what to do :)

Johnny sighed, one hand curled against his chin, an unknown smile turning his lips. There was a can of beer sitting in front of him, but he hadn't touched it yet, had completely forgotten it was there in the first place. Who could notice a beer, anyways, when Danny Murillo was sprawled out on the couch, feet kicked up on the back, head hanging off the edge, and his shirt riding up? 

Oblivious. That was what Danny was as he mindlessly scrolled through his Instagram. Oblivious to the fact that Johnny was admiring him, imagining what he would do to that boy if he just could.... 

"Just tell him."

Johnny jumped, nearly knocking his drink over. Charlie had at some point made an appearance, offering Johnny a lopsided smile. Getting the okay from Charlie was a miracle, considering Danny was still fairly new and breaking out of his shy shell around the others. Plus he was strict when it came to relationships within the band. Of course Johnny understood that he feared the end of Hollywood Undead. 

"Tell who what?" Johnny asked.

Charlie chuckled, somehow pissing the other off. "You've been staring at Danny for the past fifteen minutes. Grow some balls and tell him."

Johnny's cheeks grew hot. "I don't like Danny," he grumbled.

Charlie frowned. "That's just mean."

For a moment, Johnny was confused. Then it hit him, what he had just said, and his cheeks grew hotter. "That's not -- I meant -- I --"

Charlie laughed. "Chill out, man. I was just messing with you." He reached over to rub the top of Johnny's head, but Johnny swatted his hand away, shooting him a glare. 

"You're a dick," he growled, turning away to head to his bunk. "And I'm not telling him. He doesn't need to know right now."

-

"Johnny!"

Johnny groaned, burying his face in his pillow. "Fuck off."

"Johnny!" 

No response.

A heavy weight fell on top of him, nearly taking his breath away. Johnny mumbled a few incoherent curse words and pushed the weight off his back. There was a loud thud, followed by an, "Ow...."

Johnny rolled over and opened his eyes. Danny was on the floor, rubbing his side, and Johnny almost felt guilty for hurting him; then he remembered that he'd woken him up and all the guilt faded away.

"Get up, you puss," Johnny grumbled, pushing himself into a sitting position. "You're not hurt."

Danny huffed. "You jabbed my side!"

"You woke me up."

"Charlie asked me to."

Johnny sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "That bitch."

Danny cocked a head. "What?"

"Nothing." Johnny mumbled, sliding out of bed. 

Danny got to his feet and awkwardly stood there for a couple seconds. "Um, the guys were gonna head out for breakfast."

The guys. As if Danny still thought he wasn't a part of the group. 

"Are you not going?"

Danny's eyes widened, as if realizing his mistake, and he shook his head. "I am! I just -- I meant the guys and I. Us. We. We're gonna head out for breakfast, and we were wondering if you wanted to come with us."

Johnny almost wanted to laugh at how flustered the new singer got. He offered a tired smile. "Yeah, let me just get dressed first."

Danny nodded and left the bunk area. Five minutes later, Johnny entered the main area of the tour bus. He stopped right past the doorway, taking in the sight before him. Danny was sprawled out on the floor, watching something on his phone. J-Dog was proudly sitting on top of him. Funny knelt down in front of Danny, who glanced up curiously. Taking the opportunity, Funny snatched Danny's phone and ran off to the couch with it. 

"Funny!" Danny cried out, trying to get up but unable to. "J-Dog, get off! I need to get my phone back!"

J-Dog threw him a shit-eating grin. "No."

Danny huffed. "Jaaaaay!"

J-Dog chuckled. "Yeeeeees?"

"Pleeeeeease?"

"Please what?"

"Is this one of our interviews?" 

Danny's eyes widened. "Ah, no!"

Charlie plopped next to Funny and looked over at the screen. Da Kurlzz, on the other side of Funny, chuckled.

"It is!"

Charlie raised an eyebrow. He took the phone from Funny and handed it back to Danny, who thanked him gratefully.

"J-Dog, get off Danny," Charlie said with a small smile. J-Dog groaned loudly but did as he was told.

"Fun sucker," he grumbled.

Johnny chuckled. "You got the sucker part right," he said as he walked up to the group. He nudged Charlie in the arm and winked down at Danny, who had looked over when he spoke up.

"Yeah, and I'm fucking great at it, too!"

"Would you know that, Johnny?" Kurlzz asked, throwing his arm around Funny, who nudged him away. 

"Hell yeah," Johnny joked. 

Danny pushed himself up, sliding his phone into his back pocket. "I thought we were heading out to eat."

Johnny slung his arm over Danny's shoulders and pulled him into his side. "Don't be jealous now, Daniel. There's enough love to go around."

Danny scrunched his nose up. "I'm not jealous. Just hungry."

Oh. Johnny dropped his arms to his sides. 

"Right. I knew that." 

He glanced over at Danny. The singer had his gaze intently focused on the ground, eyebrows closely knitted together. Johnny looked away, lips twisting down in a frown. 

Charlie clapped his hands together to break the tension. "Okay, assholes. Let's go eat!" 

They ate a big breakfast at some restauraunt along the street. The awkwardness between Danny and Johnny still hung heavily, laced with pain and confusion. It was obvious. 

Too obvious.

Da Kurlzz leaned towards Charlie and whispered something. Charlie nodded and the two got up without a word and disappeared through the restaurant. 

"You can feel it, too?" Kurlzz asked. He kept his voice low, as if afraid the others would still be able to hear him. 

"The tension?" 

Kurlzz nodded. "Do they like each other?"

Charlie shrugged. "Johnny likes Danny. He has for weeks. At least I've known for a few weeks."

Kurlzz looked over his shoulder, a frown on his face. "That explains everything." He turned back to Charlie. "We need to do something about this."

Charlie rubbed his forehead, suppressing a heavy sigh. "I can talk to Johnny if you talk to Danny." 

Kurlzz nodded. "Deal. We'll be the best fucking matchmakers in the universe."

"We're not matchmaking," Charlie said; still, he couldn't help a small smile. "Just nudging them in the right direction."

"We're matchmaking," Da Kurlzz argued as they made their way back to the table. "We are definitely matchmaking."

"That was quick," Danny said, trying to joke but only managing to come out snappy. 

Charlie and Kurlzz shared a look. Kurlzz shrugged, and Charlie said, "Should a quickie be any longer, or does that not make it a quickie anymore?"

Danny didn't respond, dropping his gaze on to the food in front of him. He was silent for the rest of breakfast and for the walk back to the tour bus. Before Danny could get on and hide in his bunk for the next few hours, Kurlzz grabbed his arm, stopping him from doing anything. Over Danny's shoulder, Kurlzz saw Charlie pull Johnny to the side. 

"I was gonna walk off these calories," Kurlzz said. "I wanted a partner."

"Why don't you ask Charlie?"

Kurlzz smirked, poking Danny's arm. "Is that jealousy I hear?"

"Why does everyone think I'm jealous?" Danny shifted, looking desperately towards the bus. How he would do anything to be buried underneath his blankets.... "I just want to be alone."

"Nope." Kurlzz grabbed Danny by his wrist and dragged him off. 

"Hey!" Danny cried out. "Let me go!" 

But he didn't resist, and that was a good enough sign for Kurlzz. When he did finally let go, Danny crossed his arms and tried to turn away.

"Come on, Danny," Kurlzz said. "Don't fight it. You know you want to come along."

Danny shook his head. "Not really." But after a moment's hesitation, he turned back around and joined Kurlzz's side. "Why me?"

Kurlzz grinned. "Because you're new and I want you to feel welcomed."

"I'm not that new."

"I know."

"Is there any other reason then?"

Kurlzz shook his head. "No." Then: "Well... I was just wondering what happened earlier."

Danny cocked his head, looking over at Kurlzz. "What do you mean?"

Kurlzz shrugged. "You were hyper earlier, and then... you weren't. Why?"

"Oh." Danny was suddenly looking at everything but Kurlzz. "No reason. Hormones."

Kurlzz couldn't help but laugh. "Danny, you're not a teen anymore."

"So?"

Kurlzz stopped walking and turned to face Danny. "Are you in love?" 

Danny blinked. "No."

"Danny?"

"What?"

"Are you in love with Johnny?"

Danny threw his arms up in frustration. "Is that why you wanted me to go on a walk with you? To talk about Johnny? God, fuck you, Kurlzz."

"No, fuck Johnny," Kurlzz corrected.

Danny flipped him off and turned away, heading back to the bus. He didn't bother checking to see if Kurlzz was following or not. When he neared the bus, he saw Johnny leaning against the vehicle, his hands in his pockets. 

"Hey."

Danny stopped in front of him. "Hi."

"Was Kurlzz giving you a hard time?" Johnny asked.

"How did you --"

Johnny shrugged. "He gives everyone a hard time. He's just trying to have fun."

Danny fell silent, looking down at his shoes. 

"So what did he want?"

"Nothing," Danny lied. "Just to walk."

Johnny laughed, and Danny snapped his gaze up.

"What?" he snapped. "What's so funny?"

"Sorry, sorry!" But he wasn't sorry at all -- not to Danny, he wasn't. "I just find it strange how Charlie wanted to talk to me the same time Kurlzz pulled you away as if he had something important to say."

Danny frowned. Charlie talked to Johnny? About what? What were the two up to? Danny could only assume Charlie had been talking to Johnny about him. And if that were the case, what about him? The same thing? And what did Johnny say?

Why did he care so much?

Johnny pushed himself off the bus and took a step towards Danny. "He wanted me to man up," he said, his voice low and sending a chill down Danny's body. 

Danny swallowed. "M-man up?"

"Yeah," Johnny said. His eyes, dark and full of confliction, locked with Danny's wide ones. They only stared at each other for what felt like forever, the only sound between them their breathing. 

Danny's face was hard to read. It wasn't hopeful, wasn't scared. There was no trace of desperation or need. It was like he'd built walls in front of him to keep Johnny out. That thought made Johnny's stomach turn, made him feel sick. 

For the past couple weeks, Johnny had lived just fine pretending as if he weren't head over heels in love with Danny. And maybe he could go on living that way, forget the conversation and move on with their lives. The fear of losing Danny because of a silly little crush weighed heavy, squashing any confidence he'd gained after Charlie's pep talk. 

"Johnny?"

His eyes snapped shut. He took a deep breath -- then let out an agitated scream and swung his arm around, connecting a tightly clenched fist with the bus. It left a small dent. Some logical part of Johnny hoped to God Charlie wouldn't be pissed at him for that. 

"Johnny --" Danny started, then shook his head. Wrong question to ask. "Johnny, calm down. Tell me what you meant by 'man up'." He reached out to place a hand on Johnny's arm, but he spun around just then, causing the singer to stumble away. 

"Does it fucking matter?" Johnny snarled. "I have pretended for days now, and I don't think I want anything to change. It's safer, and I have no chance of fucking anything up!"

"What -- what do you mean? You were.... pretending?"

"I was pretending I didn't fucking love you!" Johnny exploded. "Because it fucking hurts, and it won't stop!"

Danny stepped closer cautiously. "Why does it hurt?"

"Because..." Johnny exhaled deeply, watching as Danny reached a hand out and placed it over Johnny's chest, right where his heart was attempting to become an escape artist. "Because you'll never love me back."

Eyes trailed up to Johnny's face. "Why do you think that?"

"What kind of sane person would love a fucked-up asshole like me? What kind of sane person would deal with the fucked-up problems they have?"

Danny offered a small smile. "Me," he admitted softly. 

No response. Danny took this opportunity and pressed his lips against Johnny's, gentle and perfect. 

"So," Johnny said as Danny pulled away, "earlier -- you were actually jealous?"

Danny laughed. "Yeah!"

Johnny's lips twerked up in a vicious smile. "You motherfucker. Come here." He pulled Danny flush against his body and crashed their lips together once more in a more passionate and heated kiss. Danny let out a startled noise but melted immediately into the kiss, resting his hands on Johnny's waist. 

Cheers broke out from behind them, causing them both to jump apart. Funny was standing forefront Charlie and Da Kurlzz -- Danny wondered when he slipped past them -- with a bowl of popcorn. J-Dog had his phone out and pointed at them like he'd been recording. Charlie and Kurlzz had their arms thrown over each other's shoulders and were making kissy faces at them.

"You know what, fuck you guys," Johnny said as he flipped his friends off. 

"Don't be like that," Funny said, tossing a piece of popcorn at Johnny. "We're only happy for you, man." 

Johnny shared a look with Danny, and he couldn't help but to wrap his arms around the singer and hold him close. After all, it was nice not having the fear and pain suffocate him, and Johnny didn't think he'd ever let Danny go now.


	2. Break Me (DM/TP, DK/DM)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You can't let him break you."
> 
> "But I love him."

The first concert of the tour had gone perfectly. The rain that had supposed to come down never came. The stadium was packed full of excited fans, some even holding up signs. One sign, Danny recalled as he chugged down a water bottle in the dressing room, had Danny, Will You Marry Me? written in red marker. He had a kick out of it, too, even though he knew it was something the rest of his friends had probably seen countless times before. 

He was still insecure about replacing the previous singer and about the fans possible hatred for him because of it. He didn't even like to read comments under his social medias because he feared huge backlash. 

Danny was thankful for any fan that wanted to marry him. 

"Thanks for the help." Da Kurlzz snatched the water bottle out of Danny's hand and flopped on to the couch. 

"You got it all packed, didn't you?" Danny asked, crossing his arms. 

"Yeah, with the help of Charlie."

"You didn't need my help then." Danny offered an innocent smile and ruffled Kurlzz's curls. Kurlzz ducked away from his reach.

"Fuck you, asshole."

"You love me!" Danny flopped down next to Kurlzz and wrapped his arms around the drummer. He buried his head in Kurlzz's shoulder and nuzzled him. 

The rest of the water ended up in Danny's hair and soaked the collar of his shirt. Danny cried out in surprise.

"Matt!" Danny shouted, pushing away from Kurlzz. He shook out his hair, succeeding in splashing Kurlzz, who in turn lunged at Danny and knocked him down. They both fell to the floor in a mess of yelling, shrieking, and laughing. 

"Get off me!"

"You can't get away from me."

"Not when you're on top of me!"

"You like it."

"Matt!"

The drummer laughed loudly as Danny thrashed underneath him, trying to push him off. 

"Maybe you shouldn't have sprayed me with water."

"You dumped water on me!" 

"I'm sorry, am I interrupting something?"

Both boys looked up and towards the voice. The dressing room door was open, held still by Deuce. 

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Da Kurlzz snarled as he got to his feet.

Danny clambered to his feet as well. He narrowed his eyes, trying to look as tough and pissed as possible. Truth was, he was more scared than anything. He didn't want anything to ruin his day and Deuce was never a good sign.

"Yeah, you can't just enter a band's dressing room without being a part of the show!"

Deuce's jaw tightened. "I want to talk to Danny."

Danny froze, his tough persona vanishing. "With me?"

Da Kurlzz stepped forward, partially blocking the ex-singer's view of Danny. "Well, you can't do that, so go fuck yourself."

Deuce ignored Kurlzz. "Danny?"

The time seemed to slow down as he felt both eyes on him. He knew what Kurlzz was thinking: You don't have to talk to him. 

He was right, too. Danny shouldn't have to talk to him. After all, Deuce hated the band, thought they were all the villain in his story. Not once had Deuce said a single nice word about them, not even in interviews. Nothing good could come out of speaking with him. Still... he couldn't help but agree to step out for a bit to hear what he had to say.

"What's this about, Deuce?" 

"I'm gonna sound like a puss, but I was in the audience," Deuce admitted, hands dug into his pockets. 

Danny narrowed his eyes. "So you're calling our fans pusses now, huh? Is that what this has come to?"

Deuce only shrugged, fueling the fire in the pit of Danny's stomach. "I'll admit that your albums haven't been as good after I left, and your voice sounds a little prissy."

His words stabbed into his heart, bringing tears to his eyes. He blinked several times, ignoring the knot in his stomach. "You don't sound much different." 

Deuce lunged at Danny, shoving him against the wall. "Fuck you, Danny. You're not even gonna last long in the band. They'll get tired of you, too. You'll be over before you know it."

Danny's breath caught in his throat. His heart thudded against his chest, and he was positive Deuce could feel it. He would call him a pussy for showing fear, but Danny wasn't even sure if it was fear making him feel that way. 

"I'm not like you, Deuce," he managed to say. 

"What is that supposed to mean?" Deuce asked lowly, his face only inches from Danny's.

Danny swallowed, wishing he had just shut his mouth. "I'm not like you. They'd never kick me out."

Deuce chuckled, a noise from deep in his throat, bitter. "You bring nothing but rep for those guys, Danny. The girls love you. You're cute. The guy fans hate you, though, because you don't belong in Hollywood Undead."

"That... that's not true."

"I've watched the interviews throughout the years. It's embarrassing, really. You don't fit in. Are you fuckin' blind or something? They don't like you and they never have."

Danny didn't respond. Even if he wanted to, the words were caught in his throat. 

Deuce leaned closer so his lips were next to the singer's ear. "You're worthless, Danny," he whispered, the words full of venom. "You mean nothing to any of your fake fucking friends, and you'll hate it when you find out the truth."

He backed away from Danny, who stared at him with wide eyes, his chest rising and falling visibly. Without a word he turned and strolled down the hallway, as if they hadn't just had that conversation. 

Danny stayed against the wall, unable to move, the conversation playing over and over in his mind. Was Deuce right? No, he only wanted to get to him. 

But the guys had kicked Deuce out whenever things got hard to deal with. What if they realize Danny wasn't worth their time, either? Would they really kick him out? Were they really like that? 

Danny sunk to his knees, the questions becoming too much and too loud in his head. He buried his face against his knees and squeezed his eyes shut.

"Danny? Danny!" 

A sob tore through his body. He felt someone kneel beside him, and a hand rested on his back. 

"Is everything okay?" 

Danny raised his head. Da Kurlzz was watching him worridly, but was that real worry in his eyes? 

"Is is true?" he asked, his voice cracking.

Da Kurlzz furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "What? Is what true?"

Danny averted his gaze, looking down at the ground. "You don't want me. None of you do."

"Is that what Deuce told you?"

Danny started to say yes, but then he stopped himself. He didn't want to throw Deuce under the bus like that, so instead he shook his head.

"Don't lie to me."

"He didn't tell me that."

"Danny. Look at me."

He didn't move.

Kurlzz sighed, shifting. He reached over and lightly grabbed Danny's chin with his thumb and forefinger, turning his head so they could lock eyes. 

"He... he didn't... he didn't say it...."

"Why?" Kurlzz asked. 

"I... no..." 

"Why are you lying for him?"

"I... I'm not," Danny said -- a lie. 

"What else did he tell you?"

Danny pressed his lips together to stop himself from answering. He wasn't going to tell Kurlzz. He wasn't going to tell any of them. As childish as it sounded, they weren't gonna make him. 

"Danny, I worry about you, you know," Kurlzz said, his voice gentle, caring. "I care about your mental health. I know it's hard for you. Replacing Deuce, having to win over the fans -- I like to believe you won them over right away."

"The girls," Danny scoffed. "But the rest hate me."

Kurlzz frowned, dropping his hands on to his legs. "Why would you think that?"

"Because I don't belong with you guys. I don't belong in Hollywood Undead. They want Deuce back. They don't want me." 

"Danny, we all have haters, but the majority of the girls and the guys and the in-betweens adore you."

Danny shook his head. "No. No..." His head shook harder. "No! No, I don't believe that!" 

Eventually he had to grab his head with both hands to stop it from shaking so hard. His thoughts continued rattling around. 

"I don't believe that...." Danny whispered, the tears beginning to fall once more. 

"What's going on?" 

Charlie. 

"Danny? Is everything alright with Danny?"

Funny Man.

"No, asshole," Kurlzz snapped. "Obviously not everything is alright with Danny right now."

"Alright, dude. Just asking."

"Danny." Charlie knelt down in front of him. When Danny continued to stare off into space, Charlie gently grabbed his hands and lowered them from the sides of his head. "Danny, can you look at me?"

Danny snapped back into focus, and his gaze landed on Charlie. "Hi..."

Charlie offered a caring smile. "Hey. What's up, man?"

Danny dropped his gaze. "Why am I still here?" 

"What do you mean?" 

"Why am I still in the band?" 

Johnny chuckled. "That's a silly question."

Danny furrowed his eyebrows, looking up at the blue-masked rapper. "Why?"

"Because you're part of the Undead family," Johnny said.

"I don't know what happened, but what I do know is that we're never gonna get tired of you," Charlie added. 

Danny managed to crack a small, wavering smile, and Charlie pulled him in for a hug. Funny yelled, "Group hug!" and fell onto his knees next to them, throwing his arms around them. Johnny laughed, and he and J-Dog joined the circle. 

"Da Kurlzz, are you gonna join?" J-Dog asked. 

Da Kurlzz broke out into a grin and shrugged. "Oh, alright," he said, scooting in to join the hug. 

It was weird. Even with all the hugging and reassuring, Danny still couldn't shake what Deuce had told him out of his mind. The bitterness in his tone... the look in his eyes... like he was still hung up about what had happened all those years ago. 

What was his plan anyways? Why had he pulled him aside personally to speak with him in private when they both knew goddamn well Deuce could have said all those things in front of Da Kurlzz, too? 

What was his motive? To break him? To plant demons into his brain that would eat him whole until he decided the pressure was too much to handle? 

Danny hated him. Danny hated that he loved him, wanted him, but couldn't have him. 

"Do you want to talk about it?" J-Dog asked as the others sat back.

Danny shrugged. 

Da Kurlzz sighed. "He won't say anything."

"Do you know what happened?" Funny Man asked Kurlzz.

"Not really. Deuce asked to talk to Danny. That's all I know."

"Deuce?" Something dark crossed Charlie's features. He was pissed. He didn't know what happened, yet he was still pissed. "What did that motherfucker want?"

"I don't know, and Danny won't say. I just found him like this."

Charlie stood up, a scowl on his face. Danny watched him, eyes wide.

"What are you doing?" Danny asked, fear evident in the back of his voice.

"I'm gonna kick Deuce's ass," Charlie growled. 

Danny shifted his gaze to Charlie's arms. They were tensed, his muscles quivering. His hands curled into tightly clenched fists, knuckles turning white. 

"Don't," he said sharply. "Don't go after him. He didn't do anything."

Charlie shook his head. "No, he hurt you, Danny."

"He... he didn't hurt me," Danny tried. "He didn't... I just... I..." A lie wouldn't come. He couldn't think, exhausted physically and mentally. 

"Then what happened?" Johnny asked, resting a hand on Danny's arm. 

Danny looked over at Johnny. His eyes were gentle, curious, sad. His touch was careful, like he was afraid Danny would go off. Danny licked his lips, averting his gaze once more. 

"He... he did..." he admitted, fingering the carpet. 

Da Kurlzz shifted so he could wrap an arm over Danny's shoulders, allowing him to lay his head on his shoulder. "What did he say?"

"That... that I won't last long... that you'll get tired of me, too. That I only bring you guys rep, and that I don't belong in Hollywood Undead. I don't fit in. You never liked me. I'm worthless! I never meant anything to my fake fuckin' friends! And that it'll hurt when I find out the fucking truth!"

By the end of the ramble, Danny was screaming, gripping his hair, hunched over. 

Da Kurlzz turned and gripped Danny's shoulders. "Hey. Hey! Snap out of it! None of that is true, okay? We love you. You aren't worthless, and you can't allow yourself to think like that."

Danny looked at him desperately, wildly. "But why not? Why not, when it might as well be the truth?"

"But it's not. Danny, you can't let him get to you like that."

Danny shook his head roughly. "No. No, it's too late. Kurlzz..." He buried his head in the drummer's chest, his body shaking as tears took over again. "I'm scared... I don't like this. It hurts. It hurts so fucking much."

"We're gonna finish cleaning up," J-Dog said softly. 

"I'll calm Charlie down," Funny said.

"I'm calm," Charlie insisted, though his tone was harsh and forceful. 

"I'll calm him down."

Da Kurlzz waited, rubbing Danny's back comfortingly. "What hurts?" he asked after a couple of moments. 

Danny sniffed. "Everything." He pulled away, rubbing his eyes. "Everything hurts."

"You can't let him break you."

"But I love him."

Da Kurlzz smiled sadly. "That only gives you more of a reason to stand up for yourself, huh? Instead of succumbing to every word he tells you. Fight back. Don't just give up. You know what you're doing?"

Danny cocked his head curiously. "Huh?"

"You're letting him kill you slowly. That's what he does, and he'll keep doing it until you die. Show him you're invincible. You can't die if you're already dead, after all." 

"Huh... that's a cool way to think about it," Danny murmured.

Kurlzz chuckled. "Yeah, I guess it is. Now come on. I'm sure Funny probably needs some help."

He pushed himself to his feet and held out a hand. Danny took it, and Kurlzz helped him up.

"Thank you, Kurlzz," Danny said. "I don't know what I would do without you." 

With a small smile, he patted Kurlzz on the shoulder and headed off to search for the others. 

Kurlzz watched him go. He heaved a sigh. "Yeah. Me, neither..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to pop in real quick to say that if you have any requests for me about a ship you want me to write or a plot (that isn't based around sex), leave them in the comments and I'll try to get around to them as quick as possible.


	3. For The Rest Of My Life (J3T/FM)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Johnny 3 Tears is a romantic.

Johnny fingered the velvet box thoughtfully in the dressing room, five minutes before the show would start. It was nerve-wrecking, the thought of committing to Funny Man for the rest of his life in front of an entire audience. Normally a proposal would be a more private event, but Johnny wanted to share it with their fans, and not just through pictures posted later on Instagram. He wanted them to be a part of the here and now, to enjoy the experience and excitement with them. 

He'd binged countless public proposals on Youtube that night, but decided none of them mattered. He wanted the moment to be perfect, or as close to perfect as it could get, and he didn't think it would be perfect if it were inspired by someone else. 

"Hey, dickhead. How long does it take to piss?" 

Johnny started, tucking the box into his inside jacket pocket. He looked over at the door. Charlie was peeking his head in, a knowing smile crossing his features. 

Johnny cleared his throat, pulling at his jacket. "I was just, uhm, jerking off."

Charlie chuckled. "Just get the fuck on stage. We're starting."

He disappeared behind the door. Johnny took a deep breath. God, why was he so damn nervous? It's been nearly five years. He was ready for something else, something more. Was Funny? 

Johnny shook his head to clear his thoughts. He ran on to the stage just as the first song started: "Whatever It Takes." Funny ran over to Johnny and pressed a kiss to his cheek. He leaned close to his ear and whispered, "You'll do great, babe. Don't strain yourself too much."

He offered a smile and nodded. Okay, I won't, it said. Sometimes he tended to strain too much, and a lot of shows ended with him losing his voice. It was okay because Funny always took care of him afterwards. One of the many things Johnny loved about him. 

About halfway through the concert, Johnny grabbed a mic off a stand. "How is everyone doing this fine fucking night?!"

The audience screamed, hands thrown up in the air. 

"Scream if you're enjoying your lovely selves!"

More screams, louder than the last.

"I'm sorry to have to interrupt --"

Boos.

Johnny chuckled. "I have something very important to say first, and we can get right back into it."

The crowd grew silent in confusion and anticipation. Johnny turned away, scanning his friends. He took a deep breath, exhaled slowly. His eyes landed on Funny, and his lips turned up in a loving smile. 

"Funny," he said, earning a few gasps from the crowd, "you have been the best fucking thing to ever happen to me. You helped me through so much shit over the last five years. When I was down, you were the only one who could cheer me up as much as you can."

Funny Man smiled warmly, and under the stage lights the tears in his eyes were visible. "Johnny..."

He took a few steps closer. "I don't think I could be any happier than I've been with you. Funny, I love you so fucking much, and --" The words caught in his throat. Tears welled up in his own eyes, and a few trickled down his face. "--and I want to spend the rest of my fucking life with you. It took me five years -- the best five years of my fucking life -- but I finally came to terms. I love you so damn much that sometimes it gets hard to handle it all, but I want to be with you until the day I die and then more."

It was obvious that Funny was trying to hold all his emotions in. He wore a big grin, and he covered his mouth, shaking his head lightly. 

"Johnny, you don't know how much I love you," he said, his voice breaking.

"I do," Johnny said, cracking a small smile. "But I think we should save those words for later." He crossed the rest of the way over to his boyfriend, then got down on one knee. He cleared his throat, digging a hand into his jacket. "Now that it's actually happening, it's a lot harder to think straight. I... know that this should be a personal experience. Just you, me, and maybe Charlie."

Funny managed a chuckle. "Yeah. Charlie would be there."

"Fuck yeah, I would," Charlie said. 

Johnny continued, pulling his hand out of his jacket, now holding that little velvet box. "I couldn't help but want to share this experience with everyone else. I wouldn't have done it if I didn't think you wouldn't want that. But who doesn't want a surprise proposal on stage?" 

Funny laughed, wiping his eyes. "I don't know."

"I remember when you first asked me out. You were so nervous, and I found that the cutest shit ever. I mean, you couldn't even get the words out. Eventually I had to kiss you so you could get your thoughts together and ask me on a date."

Funny buried his face in his hands. 

"I'll admit, we've had some rough patches, some ups and some downs, but we've worked through them together. We pulled through because we had each other. We came out stronger together. But enough sappy words from me. I'm probably boring the audience."

As if to protest, the crowd broke out in screams. 

"They could hear you talk forever," Funny said, lowering his hands from his face. 

Johnny chuckled. He opened the velvet box, revealing a beautiful engagement ring. "I'm just gonna cut to the chase. Funny, would you do the honor of spending the rest of our lives together?"

Funny covered his mouth and nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I'd love to."

"He said yes!" Charlie exclaimed into the mic, causing a roar of cheers to erupt from the audience.

Johnny laughed, all the nerves disappearing as he stood up and slid the ring onto Funny's finger. 

"God, you're such a fucking romantic," Funny said; Johnny just smiled and pulled him in for a passionate kiss. Funny melted against him, almost forgetting they were on stage in front of millions of people. 

"Alright, get a room, you two," J-Dog teased. "We've got a fucking song to play!" He strummed his guitar once and raised his hand. 

Danny, standing next to J-Dog, reached over and ran his fingers along the strings rapidly. Jay laughed and closed a hand over Danny's, stopping his actions. 

Johnny gave his new fiancé a lovestruck grin. He turned away to face the crowd. "Sing along as loud as you can if you know this next song!"

The fans screamed as the music started. Danny grinned up at J-Dog and pulled his hand out from under his. He crossed over to his mic stand and grabbed it with both hands. 

"Now!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to comment if you have any suggestions or requests for a ship or story! Leave a like if you enjoyed; it means a lot!


	4. Reunion -- (DM/FM)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hollywood Undead get back together after months in lockdown.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requested by AwokenMonster

The lockdown has taken a toll on all the members of Hollywood Undead, but it especially hit hard on Danny. Being apart from his friends for so long was enough of a problem, but Reese had divorced him prior to the lockdown after finding out that he was gay. She'd moved out and took their kids with her. He still visited them weekly -- Reese didn't hate him; after all, he couldn't help who he liked, and he just didn't like her as much as they'd both thought he had. Even so, only once a week seeing his kids was hard for him, but he didn't want to bother Reese too much when he knew just how much she really loved him. 

That wasn't the worst for Danny, though. Ever since lockdown started, he fell back into the pit he'd tried so hard to crawl out of. The darkness had once more consumed him, and he found himself spending most of his days buried underneath blankets in his bed. Many times he thought he'd be better off ending it all, but every time he remembered he had his kids and Hollywood Undead, and that thought always kept him alive.

Months passed since lockdown had first started. Danny was lying in bed, music playing on the television loud enough to block his thoughts. An empty bottle of beer sat on the nightstand, tempting Danny to get more, but he made no move to get out of the comfort of his bed. A sharp pain stabbed into his brain, and it was just so damn cold now. There was a buzzing taking over his mind, and he squeezed his eyes tight, trying to will it away, until he realized the buzzing was the vibration of his phone.

Someone was calling him.

A soft sigh escaped his lips. He reached over and grabbed his phone. His eyes skimmed over the name, and he barely registered who was calling him. 

"Hi," he said, his voice hoarse from not speaking for a few days. 

"Dude, are you still asleep? It's almost six."

"No... is it really?" He flicked his gaze over to his alarm clock. "Shit, it is."

"Is everything okay, Danny? You seem real out of it." 

Danny blinked, recognition setting in. "Oh, Dylan!" He hadn't heard the voice for a while. No one had called him, and he hadn't been bothered to call anyone. "Yeah, yeah, I'm good. I just woke up from a nap."

The lie slipped out easier than Danny expected. Guilt turned his stomach. He could tell Funny Man anything, yet he couldn't bring himself to be honest this time.

"So, what's up?" he asked, pushing himself up into a sitting position. He leaned against the headboard. The blanket pooled around his waist, and his bare upper body immediately grew cold. 

"Charlie called me," Funny said. "He's arranging a reunion at his house before we get back into writing all together."

Danny nodded, even though his best friend couldn't see him. "Okay. Yeah, I'll be there."

Funny chuckled. "I hope so. What's the point of a reunion without our most important member?"

A light blush rose on his cheeks. "That's why you'll be there."

"Okay, you win. I'll be there in five minutes to pick you up."

"Okay. See you then."

He hung open, then exhaled deeply. For a full minute, he sat still, staring at his TV. Then it dawned on him -- he was going to see his friends again. The same friends who helped him out of this exact rut. The same friends who had been there for him and stuck by his side since the beginning. 

Danny forced himself out of bed and stretched, reaching his arms high above his head. He grabbed some clothes from his dresser and shuffled into his bathroom down the hall. There he took a quick piss and changed into his fresh outfit. 

His gaze fell on his reflection in the mirror. It looked horrible -- there was no denying that. Strands of hair stuck out in every direction. Dark bags underlined his eyes due to the lack of proper sleep he'd been getting recently. 

Danny shook his head, tearing his gaze away from the mirror. He opened a cabinet and grabbed a bottle of pain medicine. He poured a couple into his hand and put it away, then tossed the pills down his throat. He combed and styled his hair and brushed his teeth. As he was finishing up, he heard a knock on his door. 

God, didn't Funny know he could stroll in whenever? 

Danny dashed to his bedroom and grabbed his phone. He slipped it into his back pocket, grabbed a jacket, and hurried to the front door. Funny stood at the doorstep, hands deep in his puffy jacket, a wide grin on his face. 

"Ready to party?" Funny asked, looking as if he already cracked open a bottle or two for himself. How in the hell did he make it over in one piece? 

Danny laughed. "I'm driving."

Funny's grin dropped. "Wait, what?"

He patted Funny's cheek. "You look a little drunk, man." He eased past and towards his best friend's car. 

"Hey! I got here just fine!"

Danny shook his head, opening the front door of Funny's car. He turned around, raising an eyebrow. He held out a hand. 

Funny groaned. "You're no fun," he grumbled, taking his keys out of his pocket and throwing it at Danny, who caught it with a laugh. 

Charlie's house was a twenty minute drive away. Funny cranked up their album, Notes From The Underground, and sang along to the lyrics at the top of his lungs. To Danny's awe, Funny didn't really know all the lyrics, despite hearing some of the songs on stage all the time. 

Danny focused on the road. He was feeling more uplifted with Funny at his side -- at least he wasn't feeling like he was followed by heavy rain clouds. Even then, he didn't feel like singing along with Funny. He'd much rather listen to him anyways. It was soothing in a way. 

"That's Jay and Johnny's car!" Funny exclaimed over the music as Danny pulled the car up to Charlie's house and parked it against the curb. 

Danny reached over and turned down the volume. "Looks like the gang's all here then." 

A drunk J-Dog answered the door. Clearly they've been there for awhile. 

"Charlie!" he called out. "Danny and Funny are here!" 

Charlie popped up behind J-Dog. "Welcome! I knew you'd make it!"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world, man," Funny said. 

When they walked in, Johnny was standing on top of the couch, rapping his part of 'Hear Me Now', reaching a hand out to an imaginary crowd. Danny looked over at J-Dog curiously, raising an eyebrow. 

J-Dog shrugged. "He drank a little bit too much before we came over."

"Hey! Fuck you, Jay!"

Jay smiled warmly. "Love you, too, buddy."

"Party!" Charlie yelled, grabbing the remote and turning the TV on. He navigated to Youtube and played their music. It took a while because he insisted using one hand to use the remote while he constantly took sips of his beer. 

A familiar beat filled the house. Even Danny couldn't help but get a little into it as he welcomed himself to a beer from the kitchen. He didn't dare drink anything heavier, knowing he already drank hours before, and even though it has been a while, he was known to be a lightweight. 

Johnny was trying desperately to sing Danny's part of 'War Child', his voice cracking nearly every other word. 

"Danny, can you get me one?" Funny called after him. 

Danny grabbed a second and tossed it to Funny, who caught it in both hands. 

The five danced and sang along to their music for hours. By then they were all pretty drunk. Funny clung onto Danny like his life depended on it, muttering things like 'never let me go,' and 'I love you sooo much.' Truthfully, Danny didn't mind it all that much. Funny's hugs were warm; besides, he liked the attention. 

"I shall never let you go," Danny said with a grin, resting his head on top of Funny's. 

"Hey!" Charlie called out, jumping off the couch -- where he had previously been shaking his ass like he was a fucking stripper. And who knew? Maybe he was in his own mind. "Don't hog Danny all for yourself!"

Charlie looped his arm around Danny's free arm and tried to tug him away. Funny tightened his hold, narrowing his eyes.

"He's mine," he snarled. 

Charlie poked his tongue out. "Fine. Take him. Fuck him, if you want to."

Danny's eyes widened at the comment, but Funny didn't seem to mind, nuzzing his face against his arm.

"Maybe I will," he shot back. 

"This city looks so pretty, do you wanna burn it with me?" J-Dog sang loudly, grabbing Charlie's arms to dance with him. "Til the skies bleed ashes, and the fucking skyline crashes!" 

Funny made a noise, and Danny looked down at him. 

"You okay, Funny?"

"Can we go sit down?" Funny asked, already tugging Danny over to the couch before he could answer. He immediately buried his face in Danny's shoulder. "I don't feel too good."

Danny frowned. "You did have an awful lot to drink."

"Not that you did any better," Funny pouted.

"I only had two drinks." He didn't explain that he also had one that morning. Or noon. Or whenever the fuck he had that beer. 

Funny looked up at him. "You're still drunk! You can't handle alcohol well." 

Danny offered a small smile. "Yeah, I guess I'm a little drunk. But not as much as you, and I'll remember everything that happened today."

"So will I!"

"I don't think so."

"I do!"

"If you wanted to marry me so bad, you could have just asked." Danny chuckled as Funny's cheeks burned red. 

It appeared as if Funny was about to protest, but then he just dropped his head against Danny's shoulder. "Would you ever marry me?"

Danny glanced down at him. "As a best friend?"

Funny remained silent for a second. 'Bitches' was playing now and Charlie, Johnny, and J-Dog were jumping around together, singing the lyrics badly -- and wrong. 

"Yeah..." Funny said after a moment, dragging the word out longer than he should have. "As best friends." 

Danny rested his head on top of Funny's. "Yeah... yeah, I'd marry you." 

Funny giggled, waving a hand as he 'do'd along to the Wedding March. Danny grabbed his arm and lowered it before he had the chance to whack him in the face with it. 

"God, why are you so fucking cute?" Danny asked, not realizing what he had said until it had already come out. 

Funny cocked his head, then his lips broke out in a wide grin. He sat up and turned to fully face Danny as much as he could. "You love me!" he exclaimed.

"No! I didn't mean --"

Funny pouted. "You don't love me?"

Danny sighed, a headache starting to rise in the back of his head. "No, that's not what I meant. I do love you. I just --"

Funny grinned. "You love me!"

He threw his arms around Danny and hugged him tightly. "I love you, too!" 

Danny gently pushed Funny off, immediately missing the warmth Funny provided. "You're drunk."

Funny blinked. Without a word, he leaned forward and pressed his lips against Danny's in a sloppy kiss. 

"Funny!" Danny cried out, pushing Funny off him. The drunk rapper stared at him with wide, quivering eyes. Danny sighed. "I'm sorry, Funny. You're drunk. I don't want you to think I'm taking advantage of you."

Funny blinked. "Take advantage?"

"Yeah... and that's exactly what I don't want to do to you."

"You won't be taking advantage," Funny insisted, scooting closer. 

Danny scrambled off the couch, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, Funny. I can't do that to you. Not like this." 

Funny pouted, tears slipping down his cheeks. 

Danny immediately felt bad for him. "Funny, please don't cry. You won't remember anything if we fucked anyways."

He reached over to lay a reassuring hand on Funny's shoulder. He half-expected him to push him away, but instead he collapsed against the singer, sobs shaking his body. Danny sighed.

"Sorry to cut this short, but I'm gonna have to take Funny home," Danny said. 

"As drunk as you are?" Charlie asked, still swinging his hips around. "Is that a good idea?"

Danny shrugged. "I can still think, so I'm sure it'll be fine."

Charlie nodded. "Okay. Bye!"

Danny lifted Funny to his feet. "Come on," he said, one hand wrapped around Funny's wrist as he led him out of Charlie's house. He helped him into the passenger side of his car, then got in himself and drove over to Funny's house. 

Once inside his house, Funny wrapped his arms around Danny and clung on tightly. 

"Please don't go," he whispered.

Danny sighed. "I'm not going anywhere," he insisted. He could have left Funny there and walked back home. His house was only about ten minutes away on foot. But he didn't. He couldn't do that to Funny, so instead he helped Funny to his bedroom and gently laid him down. 

Funny reached his arms up like a little child. "Stay?" 

Danny shook his head. "I'm sleeping on the couch."

"Please?"

Those stupid fucking puppy eyes. His friends always claimed that he was their weakness, but Funny was Danny's weakness.

So yeah. He found himself climbing into the bed with Funny, who hugged him close, a happy sigh escaping his lips. 

"You owe me big time," Danny whispered, but he was positive Funny hadn't heard him, and that was okay. 

\--

Danny woke up to an empty bed. At first, he panicked, thinking maybe Funny got himself into some trouble in the middle of the night. 

"You woke up."

Danny whipped his head to the door. Funny stood there with an apologetic smile. 

"Yeah, I did," he said quietly, noting the pill and glass of water Funny was holding. 

"Figured you might need these. I woke up with a killer headache."

Danny climbed out of bed and took the pill and glass. 

"I'm sorry," Funny said, crossing over to sit on the bed.

Danny swallowed the pill with a gulp of water. He traced the rim of the glass with a finger. "For what?"

"For last night? I don't remember what happened, but I forced you to sleep with me, so I'm sure it wasn't good."

Danny sighed, lowering himself next to Funny. "We didn't sleep together. Besides, you could never force me to sleep with you."

Funny furrowed his eyebrows together. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," Danny said, twirling one of Funny's braids around his finger, "I would have agreed to sleeping with you."

Funny's lips twitched up. "So you do love me?"

Danny laughed and slapped his arm. "You remember!"

"It's fuzzy. Did we --?"

"We kissed," Danny said. "Well, you kissed me. I pushed you away because you were drunk." 

Funny raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing with his lips. "Just because I was drunk?"

Danny nodded, clueless. "Yeah. Pretty much."

"So, you'd let me kiss you now then?" Funny wondered, inching closer. 

Danny thought about it, then shrugged. "Sure."

Closer. Legs now touching. "And you wouldn't push me away?"

Danny's cheeks grew hot. He shifted, beginning to feel his heart thud against his chest. "Well, you're not drunk, are you?"

Funny chuckled. "I guess not. Sobering up. Have a massive hangover."

Danny raised an eyebrow. "Then why the fuck are you thinking about kissing me? You were so fucked up last night, I'm surprised you didn't throw it all back up."

Funny ran a hand through his hair. "I guess I took it a bit far. I haven't touched a drink since our last tour."

"Oh, you poor baby." Danny fake-pouted and patted Funny's cheek. 

Funny rolled his eyes and smacked his hand away. His lips twitched as he fought back a smile. "Fuck you."

"I already said you could."

"Sorry! Still drunk!" Funny hopped to his feet and stumbled around as if he really were still drunk. Danny giggled -- then he covered his face in embarrassment.

He giggled.

He fucking giggled. 

Funny definitely noticed. "Aw, mighty Danny Murillo giggled!" 

Danny grumbled under his breath. 

"I'm sorry, what was that? I couldn't quite hear you."

Danny raised his head. "I said I didn't giggle."

Funny pinched his cheeks. "Yes, you did!"

"God, you're gonna give me a headache."

Funny flopped back onto his bed. "I do have a headache."

Danny reached over and squeezed his side. "Maybe you should stop yelling then."

Funny shrieked. "Don't do that!"

"Shrieking won't help your headache, either."

"Then be my medicine!" Funny grabbed Danny and pulled him down on top of him. 

"Shit!" Danny exclaimed as he was pulled down. He tried to roll off, but Funny held him down, laughing. "Funny! Let me go!"

"Hm... no."

"You're a dick."

Funny grinned. "I know." 

Danny sighed, looking down at Funny. They were so close. Danny could just kiss him. 

He didn't. 

Instead he wiggled his way out of Funny's hold, falling onto the bed beside him. Before he could get up, however, Funny rolled on top of him with a smirk. 

"Oh, no, you don't," Funny said. 

Danny stuck out his tongue. "You suck."

"I can," he said with a wink. 

"Fuck off," Danny mumbled. 

Funny crashed his lips against Danny's, the kiss full of passion and heat. Danny froze for a moment, mind running blank, but then he kissed back, cupping Funny's cheeks with his hands. He was breathless when Funny pulled away.

"Hi," Danny breathed out. 

Funny grinned. "Hi."

Danny blinked. "Kiss me again."

"Bossy," Funny said, but he obliged, pressing his lips to Danny's, this time gentler. A soft sigh escaped Danny as he kissed back. 

Yeah, the wait was totally worth it, Danny decided just then.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So before I get questions, I do realize Funny doesn't have the same hairstyle. It's just the one I know the most and see the most, so let's all pretend like he does :)


	5. Danny Is Stubborn (DM/J3T)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny catches a cold and stubbornly tries to hide it from Johnny.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requested by Airiamurillo

Danny had been fine for the first few songs of their concert, but then it suddenly hit all at once. He could feel it as they were singing 'Bullet'. It didn't help much that his voice cracked. Luckily he was doing background vocals, so hopefully no one noticed. 

Going through the rest of the concert was hard. He didn't feel sick to his stomach or anything. It was just a cold after all. But his nose was runny, eyes watery, and he couldn't quite hit those notes without straining. Somehow he made it through with as little voice cracks as possible, and when it was over, he was back in the dressing room, downing a water bottle desperately. 

"Danny." Arms wrapped around his waist from behind. Johnny. 

"Yes?" Danny asked, grimacing at the break in his voice. It sounded like he hadn't talked in weeks. 

"Did you strain yourself?" Johnny asked as Danny turned around in his arms and pecked him on the lips. "It sounds like you're losing your voice." 

Danny offered a small smile. "Yeah. Just a little bit." He leaned against Johnny, allowing him to fully envelope the singer in a warm hug. "It'll be fine by next show, though."

"Not if you keep talking," Johnny said. "You need to --" 

Rest your voice, is what he was going to say. But it was cut off by a sneeze. A smile curled his lips.

"Bless you." 

"Yes, I am an angel," Danny said, pulling away to look up at his boyfriend. 

"You're not catching a cold or anything, are you?" Johnny asked, resting a hand on Danny's forehead. 

Danny ducked out of his reach. "No, I'm fine. I'm not catching a cold."

Johnny cocked an eyebrow. "If you say so." 

"I do say so," Danny insisted, leaning forward to plant a kiss on Johnny's cheek. 

That night, Danny was curled up on the couch in the lounge. He was covered from shoulders to toe by a soft blanket he had stolen from Johnny. It smelled like him, and it was warm and cozy; it reminded Danny of his hugs. 

A comedy was on, but Danny barely paid attention, too busy trying to keep himself warm under the blanket. Outside snow flurried around the tour bus. The wind whistled and howled. Still it wasn't all that cold in the bus. 

Quiet voices rose from the bunk. Danny shifted, listening. 

"He hasn't moved from that couch for a couple hours." Johnny. It wasn't hard to recognize that calming tone. "I'm starting to worry."

"I'm sure it's nothing." Charlie. 

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. He strained himself. Do you know how you get when you strain yourself?"

"Moody?"

"You're always moody." Charlie laughed. "No, you hide yourself away in your bunk and snap at anyone who tries to confront you."

"Not Danny."

"He knows how to treat you right."

The door opened and Danny turned his attention back on the TV, tugging the blanket around him closer. Someone plopped down next to him and snuggled into Danny. 

"Hi," Danny said, shifting so he could cuddle his boyfriend. 

Johnny slipped an arm around Danny's waist. He lowered his lips, skimming his lips along his jaw. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel just fine," Danny lied. He turned his head and caught Johnny's lips in a kiss. "I swear."

Johnny raised a skeptical eyebrow. "You promise?"

Danny sighed, nibbled at his bottom lip. "I promise." 

His body protested against his lie, a shiver running through his body. He buried his head in Johnny's chest, a sigh of comfort escaping through his lips as his warmth combatted the cold in the air. 

"Danny, you're shaking," Johnny said softly. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Danny groaned. "Yes! I'm fine! It's winter! Is it so bizarre that I'm cold right now?"

Johnny frowned. "Danny --"

Danny pulled away from Johnny and stood up from the couch. As soon as the blanket dropped off his body, he swore he was gonna freeze to death. 

"I'm gonna go to the bathroom," Danny said, bending down to brush his lips against Johnny's nose. "I'll be back." 

He could feel Johnny's eyes on him as he walked out of the lounge, through the bunks, and to the bathroom. He passed Charlie, who was lying on his bunk, scrolling through his Instagram. 

"Hey," Charlie said without looking up. 

"Hi."

"How's your voice?"

"Fine." 

Danny disappeared out of the bunks before Charlie could ask him any more questions. He locked himself in the bathroom and sat down on the toilet with his head in his hands. He couldn't stop shivering. His throat hurt like hell. His eyes were so watery, it felt like he was crying when he wasn't. 

And he didn't want to tell Johnny. He didn't want to worry him too much, and he knew how much he could worry, especially when it came to him. He should have felt special, and some part of him did, but he was too damn stubborn to allow Johnny to care for him that much. 

God, he was such a puss, he thought with a bitter laugh. 

He could be buried in blankets with a hot bowl of soup, cuddling Johnny while he showered him with all the love he could, and he would feel straight back to normal in the morning. 

But no.

Danny chose to avoid confrontation. He hid himself in the bathroom, for fuck's sake. 

He was a fucking pussy. 

Danny sighed, wiping the tears that had leaked from his eyes. He slid off the toilet seat and rummaged around in a cabinet. He poured himself a couple benadryls and swallowed them dry. He leaned against the door, squeezing his eyes shut and taking in a deep, shaky breath. 

A knock on the door startled Danny back into reality. He rubbed a hand against his forehead.

"Are you almost done? I need to piss." 

J-Dog. 

Danny opened the door and forced a smile. "Sorry."

Jay stared at Danny for a moment. "Have you been crying? Did Johnny do something? I don't care if he's my best friend; I will cut his dick off."

Danny managed something like a chuckle. "No. Cold. My eyes are just watering."

Jay raised an eyebrow. "So you didn't just strain your voice?"

"Don't you have to piss?"

"No. Yes. How bad is it?"

Danny shrugged. "Chills, sore throat, croaky voice."

Jay nodded. "Runny nose and watery eyes. Have you told Johnny?"

Danny shook his head, averting his gaze. He felt bad for not telling Johnny. He was his own boyfriend and he couldn't even tell him he had a fucking cold. 

"It's not my place to meddle, but --"

Danny cut him off. "Yeah, I know." He brushed past Jay and headed back to the lounge. Johnny was still on the couch, his eyes trained on the TV, but he looked over as soon as Danny walked in. 

"Everything okay?" Johnny asked, wrapping an arm around Danny's waist when he plopped down beside him. 

Danny shrugged. 

"What's wrong?"

A sigh, long and sad. "I lied..."

Johnny hummed. "What do you mean?"

"I... do have a cold..." 

Johnny looked down at Danny, a small smile flickering on his lips. "Is that all?" 

Danny leaned his head against Johnny's chest. "I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want you to worry so bad. We have a show tomorrow. I didn't want you to worry if I'll be better by then or not."

Johnny chuckled. "I'm not worried about the show. You're strong. What I am worried about is whether or not you're suffering."

"No..."

The shivers said otherwise. Johnny pulled Danny closer against him, however that was possible. 

"Danny..." Johnny nuzzled his nose against Danny's cheek, his breath warm against the singer's cold skin. 

"Hm?"

"Never pretend you're fine like that."

"...I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize. I get it. You have a stubborn ass."

Danny pouted, playing with Johnny's fingers that were resting against his side. "My ass is not stubborn."

"Your ass is very stubborn."

"My ass is not stubborn!"

"Danny?"

"Yeah?"

"You're being stubborn now."

Danny huffed. "Fuck you."

Johnny chuckled, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "You love me." 

"I guess I do," Danny said with a long sigh.

Johnny laughed. "I guess you have to. It comes with the contract."

Danny shrugged. "I burned that contract a long time ago."

"When?"

"When we started dating."

"Huh. So I'm dating a poser then?"

Danny glanced up at him. "What?"

Johnny pecked his nose. "Danny would never burn a J3T contract. He loves me too much for that."

Danny reached up and flicked Johnny on the forehead. "Shut it. Conceited ass."

"Stubborn ass."

"I'm not stubborn!"

Johnny smiled and shook his head. "You're a child," he said, gently moving Danny aside so he could get to his feet. Danny watched him curiously, drawing his legs up and pulling the blanket around him. "How does some soup sound?"

Danny managed a small smile. "That sounds good."

Johnny turned and started for the door. 

"Johnny?"

He paused and glanced over his shoulder. "Yeah?"

"I love you."

Johnny's lips twitched up in a sweet, warm smile. "I love you, too, Danny."


	6. Worth It (CS/DK)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hold me closely  
> Never let me go, you're my only  
> I'm worthless, you're perfect  
> Somehow you make me feel like I'm worth it

"Da Kurlzz!" 

Kurlzz jumped, nearly falling off the booth. He'd been reading one of Johnny's books he'd bought on tour with him, drinking a beer and relishing the peace. That peace was cut short, however, when Charlie burst into the tour bus, eyes blazing, fists clenched. J-Dog, who was lying on the couch on his phone, looked up curiously. Kurlzz slowly stood up, closing the book and setting it down. 

"Charlie," Kurlzz said cautiously. He knew this Charlie. He liked to think he knew this Charlie well. He'd seen him often enough, and if he wasn't careful, he'd get hurt. 

Charlie was drunk. He wasn't always an angry drunk, but sometimes, after he drank enough, a kind of darkness took over, and Charlie did things he always regretted. Kurlzz understood that, so he never took his actions to heart. 

"Are you drunk?" he asked slowly, sliding out of the booth. 

Charlie was fuming. "I'm not fucking drunk! What the fuck is wrong with you, Kurlzz?"

Kurlzz took a step towards Charlie, who grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him closer. "Why the fuck would you cheat on me, Matthew?"

"Cheat-?" Kurlzz sighed. "Babe, I never cheated."

"Don't lie to me, Kurlzz," Charlie seethed. "I saw how you were acting around that girl earlier, all flirty and shit and --" He began making random noises, swinging his hips against Kurlzz. "If you don't fucking love me, you can say that to my fucking face instead of cheating on me with women!"

"Charlie--"

SLAP! 

Kurlzz's eyes widened, and he held a hand to his stinging cheek. 

"What the hell, man?" J-Dog stormed over to the two. He grabbed Charlie's wrist and spun him around, no regard to Charlie's anger. "You're his fucking boyfriend!"

"He's the one who cheated!" Charlie yanked his wrist out of Jay's grip. "I do my hardest not to look at other women, and he shamelessly flirts with them!"

"I never flirted --"

"Shut up! Shut it! I don't want to hear another fucking word!" 

"Charlie," J-Dog tried, but he was cut off. 

"Whatever. I'm sick of this shit."

Charlie looked as if he were about to stomp off, but he didn't. His eyes were dark, mouth set in a scowl. J-Dog grabbed his shoulders and looked him dead in the eye.

"I need you to calm down," Jay said. 

"I don't need you to tell me what I need to do," Charlie grumbled. 

Jay ignored him. "Tell me what happened."

"Nothing ha-"

J-Dog glared daggers at Kurlzz, and the drummer pressed his lips tightly together. 

"When we were at the club, this asshole over here found the attention of a fucking slut," Charlie said, "and when she decided he was single and grinded right up against him, he did shit to stop her. I believe he was playing along with her."

Kurlzz rolled his eyes. That was partially true. A drunk girl did try to flirt with him, and she did try to take him back to her place. Charlie misread the situation, though. Big time.

And there was no way he could convince him. 

"Kurlzz wouldn't cheat on you, Charles," J-Dog said. "You're blowing this way out of proportion." 

Charlie lunged at J-Dog, succeeding in knocking him to the ground. He jabbed a finger at his chest, practically snarling when he said, "Don't pretend like you know my boyfriend better than I do. This isn't the first time he's pulled this shit." 

"Charlie, go take a nap. You'll be able to think more rationally about this when you wake up."

Charlie glared down at his friend and fellow band member. Da Kurlzz watched, wondering why he let himself put up with his shit. He should have broken up with him a long time ago, but whenever he tried to, he couldn't bring himself to say the dreadful words, or any form of them. Again, he knew Charlie never meant to hurt him. It was hard to see him so...not himself. 

When Charlie disappeared into the bunks, J-Dog pushed himself to his feet, brushing his hands on his jeans. 

"What the hell was that about?" Jay asked, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. 

Kurlzz shrugged. "I don't even know anymore."

"Did you?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Cheat?"

Jay nodded, and Kurlzz shook his head rapidly.

"No! I would never! He's just drunk and taking it way out of hand!"

Jay grabbed the beer that Kurlzz had been drinking and took a swig from it. "I never imagined him as the angry drunk."

Kurlzz sighed. He glanced over towards the bunks. "He usually isn't. He's usually happy, down to party, sometimes a little clingy -- like Danny."

"But?"

"But... sometimes this... this monster takes over, and he becomes a whole new person."

Jay eyed Kurlzz. He was staring at the mark on his cheek. His next question confirmed it.

"Does he normally hurt you?"

The drummer shrugged. "If I'm not careful. He has before, but..." He plopped down in the booth, resting his chin in the palm of his hand. "He doesn't mean it. He doesn't mean any of it. He can't help it."

"How can you be sure?" Jay asked softly. 

"What? Of course I'm sure." 

Why wouldn't he be? Charlie couldn't mean to hurt him or to say awful things to him. He didn't mean to feel all of the anger that took ahold of him and strangled him until he exploded. And he took it out on Kurlzz, yet he couldn't blame him. 

Jay sat across from Kurlzz. He was watching him, confused, curious, concerned. 

"Kurlzz... you're only hurting yourself by staying with him. He's a great friend, but..." Jay paused, nibbling at the bottom of his lip. "He's not a very good boyfriend."

Anger rose from the pit of his stomach. He narrowed his eyes. "He's a great boyfriend, Jay. You don't know him like I do. You don't know how he holds me at night or how he cheers me up whenever I'm sick and feel grouchy. You don't know how he kisses me or cuddles me, or the way he gets protective like he's afraid to lose the one person he loves the most. You don't know how much we understand each other."

J-Dog sat silent for a couple moments, allowing Kurlzz's rant to sink in. He blew out a breath and shook his head. "Shit, man. You're in deep, aren't you?"

"In deep?" 

Jay covered Kurlzz's hand with his own. "You really love him, don't you?"

The drummer sighed, dropping his gaze. "Yeah..." 

"Have you tried talking to him about it?"

Kurlzz groaned, tossing his head back against the back of the booth. "You're acting like a therapist."

Jay cracked a small smile. "I'm sorry. I'm done with the questions. But seriously," he continued as he slid out of the booth, "you need to do something about this. I don't like seeing my friend get hurt." 

Kurlzz barked out a bitter laugh. "Yet you don't mind when a physical fight breaks out."

"As long as no one bleeds, it's entertaining."

Kurlzz scoffed. "Yeah, when you're not the one apart of it."

J-Dog only smiled in return before walking back to the couch. He flopped down and was soon joined by Johnny, who seemed to regret it immediately when Jay flung his feet onto his lap. 

The next few days were torture for Kurlzz. Charlie seemed to be avoiding him or something. During concerts, he stayed on the opposite side of the stage and he never once made a joke, gay or otherwise, about him. Whenever the whole band was hanging out together, Charlie was oddly quiet, cracking the occasional joke and laughing at others, but he mainly kept to himself, and that was strange. 

Kurlzz was hurt, but mostly he was confused. Did he do something? Was he going to break up with him? Charlie wasn't acting himself. Kurlzz tried to confront Charlie, but when he did, all he got were short, uninterested responses before the lead member walked away.

What was happening? 

On the fourth day, the guys decided to hang out at the local park. It was a nice, warm day, and they'd been stuck inside a small, cramped bus for weeks. A day out would be a nice change of scenery for everyone, and who knew? It might cheer Charlie up. 

Except he shot the invitation down, claiming he wasn't feeling too well but that they could go on without them. Kurlzz stood in the bunk for awhile, just staring at Charlie's back as the other stared at the wall in heavy silence. Finally Kurlzz left after deciding neither was going to speak up about the obvious wall between them. 

"What's up with Charlie?" Funny asked after they all gathered outside the tour bus. 

Kurlzz shrugged. 

"He's been acting this way ever since he hit you," Jay said. At that point the others knew about what happened. 

Kurlzz only hummed in response. 

"So what did happen that day?" Funny asked.

"Can we just fucking drop it?" Kurlzz snapped. "I don't want to talk about it."

So they did. No one else brought up the situation until they got back. Johnny had disappeared into the bunks and reappeared moments later, a worried look on his face. 

"Charlie's gone."

"What? Is he not in the lounge?" Jay asked.

Johnny shook his head. "Checked."

"Maybe he stepped out for a bit," Funny said. "I'll go check around the bus."

But before he could even make his way to the door, Charlie walked in -- well, stumbled in, really. 

Drunk. 

Not angry. Not happy. 

Tired. 

"Oh, Charlie, thank God," Kurlzz breathed out, moving into hug him. 

Charlie shook his head, holding out a hand. Kurlzz froze in his tracks, a knife stabbing into his heart. 

"Charlie? Where have you been?" Johnny asked, worried yet snappy. 

"I can't..." Charlie mumbled, his words so slurred, they could barely understand him. "I can't do it anymore..."

The guys shared a concerned look. Johnny took a cautious step forward. 

"What can't you do anymore?"

Charlie looked up at him. His eyes were puffy, bloodshot, red. One was black, like he'd gotten into a fight and got sucker punched in the eye. 

"Everything," he nearly whispered. 

"Charlie, no, please don't say that," Kurlzz begged, stepping closer. Charlie flinched.

"Don't. I don't want to hurt you again."

Kurlzz frowned. "You won't."

Charlie fully faced his boyfriend. "But I will. I can't pretend like I won't. You're too great for this world, you know that? Why are you still with me?"

"Because. Because..." Kurlzz slowly closed the space between them so they were standing chest to chest. "Because I love you. And... I know when you... when you get the way you do, I know you don't mean it."

Charlie shook his head. "I don't get it. I would have left my sorry ass a long time ago if I were you."

"If you were me, you'd understand that I love you very much, and that I'm willing to go through this for you."

"That's not a good decision."

"Maybe not. But I don't care. Charlie, you treat me better than anyone ever could. I would endure millions of bad nights to spend one of our nights together, or for you to hold me in your arms for even a minute. To feel your lips against mine. You're the only one for me, Charlie. The only one I want."

Charlie gazed at him with sadness, regret, and awe. "Matty..." 

Then he broke down, throwing his arms around Kurlzz, and burying his face in the crook of the drummer's neck. It wasn't everyday you saw Charlie cry. The guys watched awkwardly. Kurlzz finally had to personally wave them off. It was a private moment, after all. 

"I'm worthless..." Charlie murmured after his tears died down. 

Kurlzz placed a kiss on the top of his head. "No, you're not, babe."

Charlie didn't reply. He pulled back enough to raise a hand. He lightly ran it along Kurlzz's cheek. 

"I'm sorry..."

Kurlzz wrapped a hand around Charlie's arm gently. "I forgive you. I always will, Charlie. And remember this: I will never, ever cheat on you, so I don't want to hear that accusation again."

Charlie nodded. Kurlzz ran a thumb underneath his eyes, wiping away any tears. He was careful with the black eye. 

"Now quit your crying," he said softly. "You're Charlie Scene."

Charlie only nodded again. "Thank you..."

"Of course. I'll always love you. Forever." He pressed a kiss to Charlie's lips, dropping his hands to his waist and pulling him closer against him. A sound mixed between a sigh and a moan fell from his lips. Kurlzz pulled away from the kiss. "And you're worth it." 

Charlie gazed into Kurlzz's eyes, searching for something. A trace of a lie, maybe? Hate? Disgust? Fear?

Neither of those things Kurlzz felt. Neither he could ever feel. Maybe occasionally he'd get tired or annoyed, but hate was far out of the question. He didn't think he was even capable of hating the poor teddy bear of a man standing in front of him. 

"I'm sorry for thinking you cheated," Charlie said. 

Kurlzz offered a small smile. "Don't be. I understand where you're coming from."

Charlie sighed, dropping his gaze. "What did happen then?" 

"This girl tried to get me to fuck her, but I wasn't having it," Kurlzz said. "I tried to tell her I wasn't interested or single, and I tried backing away, but she was drunk, upset, and desperate."

"Oh." Charlie dropped his gaze. "I ran off before that." He groaned, dropping his head against Kurlzz's chest. "God, I hate me more than you ever could."

Kurlzz ran his hand along his back soothingly. "I could never hate you."

"I'm tired..."

"Let's get you to the bunks."

Kurlzz wrapped an arm around Charlie's waist and took him to the bunks. Charlie collpased on his bunk and was out immediately. The drummer couldn't help a small smile, and he climbed into the bed beside his boyfriend. He pulled the curtain closed, draped an arm over Charlie, and nuzzled his nose in the crook of his neck, leaving little kisses. 

He really was in deep, huh?

The only thing was Kurlzz couldn't give any less of a shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't forget to like this if you enjoyed and would like to see more. Feel free to leave as many requests as you'd like. I have ideas, but I am always down for suggestions. Have a good day or night or whenever you're reading this! :)


	7. Don't Try To Save Me (JD/TP)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Deuce gets kicked out. Neither him nor J-Dog handles it well.

Everyone knew Deuce had to go. Even J-Dog, as much as he didn't want to believe it. Deuce was nice off tour, but as soon as the band gathered onto the bus, his whole personality changed. He was never the sweet, funny guy J-Dog knew and, unadmittedly, had a crush on. He was a monster -- always in some kind of mood, starting fights, complaining, and just constantly being a huge dick. 

The band -- Deuce excluded -- had gathered one day a few weeks into the tour. Jorel had come out of the bunks, insisting that Deuce had his headphones in and was blaring music. It had become clear something was wrong when Charlie made everyone sit around the main area of the bus. 

"What's this about?" J-Dog asked, fearing the worst. Yeah, he'd seen Deuce's mood switches at the start of the tour. He'd noticed it last year, too. He just never wanted to acknowledge it. The more he pretended everything was the same with his best friend, the better he felt. 

"I don't think I can handle any more of Deuce's shit," Charlie said, speaking quietly, like he was afraid the lead singer would hear him. 

J-Dog fidgeted on the floor where he had sat himself. His heart jumped into his throat. "W-what?"

"This has been going on for too long," Charlie continued. "Deuce nearly broke one of Johnny's arms because Johnny suggested switching around a couple songs on the setlist."

Jay looked over to Johnny. He was sitting next to Charlie, leg crossed over the other, one arm draped over the top of the couch behind the lead rapper. He gave a vague nod, lips set in a scowl. J-Dog lowered his gaze. 

"This has been something you've been talking about for awhile, then?" 

"Jay, we're sorry," Funny said. "We knew you wouldn't like the decision."

Jay snapped his head towards him. "Of course I don't! He's my fucking best friend!" He pressed his lips together, breathing in and out through his nose. He needed to stay calm. If he started screaming, Deuce would for sure hear and come check on them. If he knew, he would cause an even bigger scene. 

"If he doesn't leave, this band is going to break up," Charlie told him, talking to Jay as if he were a mere toddler, and that further pissed him off. 

"Everyone has been getting pissy at each other lately," Johnny said. "The tension's high. On top of that, everything has to be just right for Deuce in order to have any peace."

Jay glared at the ground, clenching his hands in his lap. They were right. Everyone has been walking on eggshells around Deuce. At any moment, he could explode. But the thought of touring without Deuce tore him apart. 

"The vote's unanimous," Charlie said. "He's leaving, whether you like it or not. He can't stay here."

J-Dog groaned and buried his face in his hands. He didn't know how long they sat around in silence. Jay was conflicted. Deuce wasn't the same, and he had to stop pretending differently. He loved Hollywood Undead, loved rapping, loved making music, and loved traveling the world with his friends. 

Him and Deuce had been like peas-in-a-pod when they were younger. They were almost never apart, always chilling at each other's houses, smoking weed and stealing alcohol from the pantry, blasting music through speakers until police knocked on the door with complaints about a loud teenage party. They kissed once. Jay remembered it like it had happened just that morning. 

\---

"Fuck, marry, kill," Deuce said. "Jordan, George, and me."

The two were lying on Deuce's bed --Deuce on his back, hands clasped on top of his bare stomach (at some point during the day, he had taken his shirt off, insisting it was too hot), and Jay on his stomach, head rested on crossed arms. 

"I can't kill any of my friends," Jay said, pouting, turning his head to look at Deuce. 

Deuce chuckled. "Come on, just pick."

"Okay, let's see..." Jay pretended to think about it, a small smile flickering on his lips. "I'd marry George, kill Jordan because why the fuck not, and.... fuck you."

Deuce hummed in response, silent for a moment. He rolled on to his side the same time Jay did to see if he'd made things awkward. Their faces were inches apart, yet neither seemed to mind all that much. They were both very high anyways. 

"You'd fuck me, huh?" Deuce asked, his lips twitching up in a smirk. 

Jay stuck his tongue out. "Don't think much of it. I had no other choices." 

"No, you had two other choices," Deuce said. "And you chose me. You want to fuck me."

"Aron, it's a game," Jay said, but he didn't deny it, either. After all, there was no denying that Deuce was kind of hot. 

Deuce rolled his eyes, that stupid, cute ass smirk never leaving his face. "You're impossible."

"And you're an asshole."

Deuce winked. "Of course. It's my specialty."

Jay initiated it. He couldn't help it, not when that fucking smirk of his did things to his body not even girls could accomplish. Deuce returned the kiss immediately, rolling over on top of Jay and straddling his hips. 

Neither mentioned the kiss ever again. 

\---

"Hey, what's up?"

Deuce's voice broke through J-Dog's thoughts. He was standing outside of the bunk, his headphones hanging around his neck. He glanced at each member, eyes furrowed in confusion, and when it landed on Jay, the rapper sighed and got to his feet. 

If anyone were to break it to him, it would be Jay, no matter how hard. 

"Listen..." Jay ran his tongue along his top lip, searching his brain for a way to tell Deuce he was kicked from the band without sounding too harsh.

"Jorel? What the fuck is going on? Why does it look like there was a fucking meeting here without me?" 

"Well..." Jay shifted uncomfortably. "There kind of was..." 

"What do you mean?" 

Jay approached Deuce. Once in front of him, he grabbed his hands. Deuce's hands twitched, like he wanted to yank them away, but he didn't. 

"We... we think it's best if you don't tour with us anymore..." His voice came out small, almost too quiet to be heard. It hurt to speak it; now it was really happening. His best friend was being kicked out of the band they had created together. 

"What?" The single word came out harsh and venomous. "This is a fucking joke, right?"

Jay shut his eyes to prevent any tears from leaking. He was stronger than that. He wasn't going to cry over this. That was pathetic. 

"We've had enough of the bullshit," Charlie said, nearly a growl. "We should have done this awhile ago. Truthfully I don't know why we didn't."

Deuce tugged his hands from Jay's and brushed past him to get a better view of the others. He was fuming, hands in tight fists, body nearly shaking from rage. 

Jay snapped his eyes open, spinning on his heel. "Deuce--"

"You can't kick me out," Deuce seethed. "I started this band. I produce. You can't do this without me!"

"Deuce, please--"

Charlie shot to his feet. "You didn't fucking start shit, Deuce. We all did this together."

"Yeah--!"

"So together, we decided you can't stay here any longer."

Deuce spun around, wild eyes on Jay. "Is this true?" 

"I...I..." The words stuck in his throat, leaving Jay staring agape. He wanted to tell him so bad that he didn't want him to leave, that he didn't agree with the vote, but when he looked over at Charlie, he knew that he'd be kicked out just as fast. 

Oh, fuck his life.

"Fuck you, Jay," Deuce snapped. "I thought you were my best friend."

Jay's eyes widened. "I am! I just --"

"What? You choose them over me? Some best friend you are." 

If only he could understand. If Jay could run off with Deuce instead, he would, no hesitation. But things were more complicated than that. 

"Deuce, please --" Jay stepped towards him and reached out a hand. 

Deuce grabbed his arm, his grip so tight Jay had to bite his lip to keep from crying out. "I don't want to hear shit from you, Jorel," he seethed. "You're a fucking asshole -- a lying, no-good, fucking piece of shit. Maybe you deserve to stay here with the rest of them."

Jay didn't bother trying to stop the tears this time. His words stung -- they were like a knife, digging into his heart and twisting. The pain was like nothing he'd ever experienced before. 

Deuce didn't hit him -- it didn't seem like he ever could. So many times he'd punched one of the others, but he never laid a hand on J-Dog, not like that. This was no exception. He stared at Jay for what seemed like forever -- and Jay wished it could have been forever because he'd rather Deuce look at him like he wanted to strangle him than not look at him ever again. 

And he never did. 

After that conversation, Deuce disappeared. Jay had tried on multiple occasions to text him or call him. He never replied, never picked up the phone. He blocked Jay on all social media platforms. Deuce had completely vanished off the radar. 

Finally the tour was over, and the guys proposed celebrating at a club. Jay agreed, hoping a few drinks would cheer him up for a bit. 

"That's the spirit!" Charlie exclaimed, shaking his hips a little. "All you need is a lady on your lap and you'll cheer right up."

J-Dog rolled his eyes, stuffing his hands in his pockets as the group of friends entered the club. Immediately a group of drunk girls recognized them, shimmying through the crowd of people to get to them. 

"Oh my God, you're Hollywood Undead," one of the girls pointed out, a big drunken grin on her face. 

"We're huge fans," another said. As she spoke, she not-so-subtly played with the collar of her deep V-neck. 

J-Dog blew out a deep breath. They were hot, he guessed, but not nearly as hot as -- 

Fuck. He really needed a drink. 

Jay left his friends to talk with the ladies and approached the bar. He ordered a vodka and downed it in one go. God, he felt so alone. It was torture knowing Deuce hated him. 

He ordered another. 

Sometimes he wished he could turn back time. He would handle things differently. He would stand by Deuce and convince the others to give him a second chance. He wouldn't have given in so easily. 

Maybe then Deuce would be by his side then. Maybe the empty hole in his chest would not be there anymore. Maybe he wouldn't be trying to drink away his memories. 

"Yo, Jay! Wanna sign these girls' tits?" 

Jay slowly twisted around to face Funny. The world swayed beneath him. Funny frowned, resting a hand on Jay's shoulders. His eyes flicked to the glass in front of Jay, then back to his friend. 

"How many of those have you had?" he asked. 

Jay didn't know which Funny to look at. He reached out a hand, flailing around before finding his cheek to rest on. "I don't know. Funny... do you know how hot you are?" 

"Oh no, you're shitfaced already." Funny helped Jay off the stool, grunting when Jay collapsed against him. "This isn't gonna be good..." 

Jay stumbled along beside Funny, unsure where he was taking him. He tried to focus on where he was going, but the music was too loud in his ears and the lights blurred together in pinks, blues, and purples. 

"It's J-Dog!" 

"Jay's not in any condition to sign anything right now, girls." Then, to who Jay assumed were his friends -- everything was becoming a bit blurred inside -- "I'm taking Jay outside. He's not doing good." 

" 'M doin' jus' fine," Jay slurred. 

Funny led him outside anyways, and just in time. Jay's stomach turned, and he bent over and emptied everything out. He stayed bent over, hands on his knees, heaving in and out. 

He threw up again. 

God, he really was a fuck-up... 

"Come on, Jay. Let's sit down for a bit." 

He held onto Funny's wrist as he led him to the building. Jay slid to the ground, drawing his knees up to his chest. He was shaking, tears sliding down his cheeks. 

"You're fine," Funny assured him, voice gentle. "What happened?"

Jay wiped his eyes. "I thought... I thought if I drank enough, I'd forget. I guess I never forgot."

"And you drank too much."

"Yeah..." 

Funny draped an arm over Jay's shoulders, letting the drunk rapper lean against him. They sat like that for a while, neither speaking, just enjoying each other's company. Charlie came out a couple times to check up on them, but Funny only waved him off each time, a simple shake of his head telling the lead vocalist everything he needed to know. 

Jay shifted. "I miss him..."

Funny hummed. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay." 

"He was being a dick, though."

"Aren't we all a dick at some point?" 

Funny sighed, playing with the shoulder of Jay's shirt. "Someone was going to get seriously hurt if he stayed any longer." 

Jay fell silent. 

"Have you heard anything from him?" 

Jay shook his head. "No... he completely disappeared. He ignores my calls and doesn't even read my messages. I worry about him. I know he hates me, though. I would, too. He didn't deserve to watch his best friend stand by and do nothing while he was being kicked out of the band. I'm a shit friend."

"Yeah, kinda."

Jay punched him in the shoulder. "Asshole! You were supposed to cheer me up! 'Oh, no. You're not a shit friend! You're a great friend!'"

Funny chuckled and rubbed his shoulder. "Have you tried calling him recently?"

"No." Jay looked down at his hands. Truth was he was terrified to call Deuce. He could ignore him like he'd been doing. Or he could answer and say all these awful things, like a verbal bitch slap to the face. 

But Funny insisted he should try and call him one last time, that there was still hope. Jay found it strange that he still supported his relationship with Deuce. That thought struck a new fear that Charlie would hate him if he found out. 

When Jay didn't move for an entire minute, Funny reached for Jay's back pocket and pulled out his phone. He held it out for J-Dog, who stared at it for a couple seconds before giving in. All he wanted to do was hear Deuce's voice again. He didn't care what he had to say to him. 

So, with shaky fingers, he dialled his (ex?) best friend's number. It rang. And rang. And Jay had a spark of hope in his chest. Normally it went straight to voicemail. Maybe he'd pick up this time.

But it kept on ringing. After the fifth ring, anxiety took over. He looked up at Funny with wide eyes, then down at the phone again. What was happening? Where was Deuce? What was he doing? Was he sleeping? God, he hoped he was sleeping. 

That thought didn't ease his mind at all. When it reached his voicemail, Jay turned off the phone and shot to his feet. 

"Jay?" 

He ignored him, setting off down the road, ignoring the looks from other people. 

"Jay, wait!" 

A hand wrapped around his wrist, pulling him to a stop. 

"What are you doing, man?" Funny asked. 

"Going to Deuce," Jay said, tugging his hand away and walking off.

"J-Dog!" 

He didn't stop. He didn't stop walking until he reached Deuce's house. Fear gripped the pit of his stomach. He felt like throwing up again. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door, rang the doorbell. 

No answer. 

He tried the knob. Locked.

Frantically he began searching for an extra key. He checked under the doormat, in the bushes. It wasn't in any normal hiding spot. In fact, J-Dog found it tucked away in the crook of a tree branch. 

Grabbing the key, he hopped down and hurried to the door. Once inside, he called out for Deuce. Jay spotted his phone on the couch, and he picked it up and turned it on. 

Three missed calls. One from him, one from someone named Yuma, and one from someone named Tony. 

He dropped the phone, now extremely worried. He felt like he was on set of a horror movie. He almost expected a masked serial killer to come out of the shadows and choke him to death with a rope. 

"Deuce! Where the fuck are you?!"

That's when he heard him. A quiet sob, like he was trying to hold it back but failing. It pained J-Dog. He followed the noise to a bathroom. The door was cracked open, and he gently pushed it the rest of the way open. 

"Deuce?"

The former lead singer snapped his head up, a wavering snarl on his face. It seemed like too much effort for him. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

"You missed my call, and you normally just ignore them," J-Dog said. "I got worried."

Deuce scoffed, averting his gaze. "You're not worried."

J-Dog slowly stepped in, closing the door behind him. He approached Deuce, who was sitting on the toilet with his legs pulled up to his chest. He looked about as pathetic as Jay felt earlier. 

"I am..." He knelt down beside him, setting a hand on Deuce's knee. "Listen, I'm... truly sorry... I made a mistake, and I realize that."

"Shut up," Deuce snapped. "You're just trying to make me feel better."

"Is it working?"

Deuce sniffed, wiping his face. "No..." 

"Look, I really am sorry. I drank, like... a shit-ton of vodka just earlier, and you're still on my mind, if that means anything."

"It doesn't." A pause. "Wait... you drank a shit-ton of vodka? Are you drunk right now?"

Jay managed a small chuckle. "I'm a lot more sober now that I threw it all up."

Deuce's nose scrunched up. "That's disgusting. You came all the way here because you were worried?"

"It wasn't that far. But, yeah... I did..."

Deuce looked down at his hands, twiddling his thumbs. "You never saw me like this..."

Jay offered a smile. "Deal." He stood up and held a hand out. Deuce stared at it, then reluctantly took it and stood up.

"Jorel... I don't know what kind of games you're playing, but I don't want to be saved..." 

"Bullshit." He stepped closer until their faces were inches apart. Memories of their kiss flooded his mind and took over his body. He rested a hand on Deuce's cheek, rubbed the tears away. 

Deuce frowned, his eyes wide and curious. "Jorel?" 

Jay leaned in and pressed his lips to Deuce's. As much as the other claimed he didn't want to be saved, he didn't hesitate to kiss back, raising his hand to rest on the back of Jay's head and pressing their bodies together. 

Maybe he did want to be saved after all, and J-Dog was the only one who could save him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes I feel like I can describe a scene and a character's thoughts and actions, and then other times, it's just utter garbage. Oh well lol 
> 
> Comment any suggestions you may have or a ship you want to see me write. And leave a like because that lets me know if you want more, though I'd probably make more anyways because that's just how I roll.


	8. Something To Believe In (DM/CS)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny needs something to believe in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've come to accept that there's gonna be a lot of Danny Murillo ships, and I have zero ounce of regret. 
> 
> This is also about the time I decide I'm gonna actually try to proofread and edit, so hopefully my one shots will only improve from now on.

Danny hummed quietly to himself, tapping the eraser of his pencil against his chin. He was staring off into space again -- or, well, really he was staring at Charlie again. He couldn't help himself. There was something about the man that made Danny want to rip off his clothes right then and there and show him how much he wanted him. 

But Danny was always the shy one, so that would stay in his fantasies. Anyways it wouldn't be the best idea to do anything too risqué because Charlie wasn't the only one with him. In fact the rest of his friends were there, and he didn't think they'd appreciate the sudden friskiness when they were in an enclosed studio trying to write song lyrics. 

They were one song away from finishing their current album, and Danny was having the hardest time concentrating. He knew what the others wanted, and he already heard the music for it, but the lyrics were not coming to him. 

And Charlie was sitting on the opposite side of the couch as him, legs pulled up so he had a surface for his pad of paper, nibbling at the corner of his bottom lip as he scribbled away. Whether unconscious or not, the sight filled Danny with the strong urge to crawl over and kiss those lips. He finally had to force himself to tear his gaze away before he did something rash and ruined their friendship. That was what it really boiled down to: he didn't want to ruin their friendship and create an awkward mess between the two. 

He sighed to himself, dropping his gaze to his notepad. He wrote down a couple lines, reread them, and groaned as he crossed them out. He tossed the notepad to the ground in frustration and got to his feet, arching his back in a much-needed stretch. 

"Taking a break?" Funny asked, looking up from where he was swiveling around on a stool, feet propped up on a table and scrolling through his phone. It appeared he was also lacking ideas and was searching for inspiration through Twitter. 

Danny shrugged. "Yeah. I'm just gonna step outside for a bit, clear my head."

Funny nodded, his attention back on his phone. 

Danny stepped out of the building, taking a breath of the crisp Fall air. He dug around in his pocket and pulled out a cigarette and a lighter. He normally didn't smoke cigarettes, but he always kept a pack on him just in case. Now seemed like a better time than ever to smoke one. 

He leaned against the building, staring up at the sky. The sun was still high as they'd only been working for a few hours, though Danny felt like it should have been dark already. 

Danny sighed softly, blowing out a cloud of smoke. He watched the smoke rise towards the sky, humming to himself. He wondered what he believed in. After all that was the premise of the song, about belief, something to hold onto to keep moving. What did he believe in? God, that was a hard one. He couldn't really say he believed in himself. J-Dog always told him to stop being so hard on himself, that he should have more faith in himself, but really, Danny couldn't see the point. He wasn't anything special, and quite frankly he found himself to be annoying. He wondered how the others even put up with him. 

He didn't have much to believe in, the more he thought about it. The world was shit. The people were shit. Life was shit. 

If there was anything worth believing in, it was Charlie. That Charlie would one day love him back, and if he did, that he would love him forever. That Danny would be Charlie's one true love, his angel, his lifeline. 

Danny's lips twitched up in a smile. Charlie was always there for him. He helped Danny out of his rut when he'd first joined the band. He always knew the perfect way to cheer him up. He never hesitated to stay by his side whenever he felt sick, whether it was a small cold or a serious flu. Nightmares were a common occurrence for Danny, and Charlie had made it clear that he was welcome to crawl into his bunk whenever he woke up from one in the middle of the night and couldn't go back to sleep. 

Danny didn't think Charlie knew how much he affected him. 

"Fuck, I don't think I'll get used to how angelic you sound."

Danny jumped, dropping the cigarette. Sighing, he stomped it out and spun around towards the doors. Charlie stood just outside, his arms crossed over his chest. 

"Shit! Next time, warn a man before you sneak up on them!" 

Charlie tilted his head slightly, a smirk playing on his lips. "What's the fun in that?"

Danny rolled his eyes. "What are you doing out here, anyways? Don't you have song lyrics to write?" 

"I could ask you the same thing, but it sounded to me like you already got that covered."

Danny blinked. "What?"

Charlie ignored him, stepping closer. Danny had to refrain from stumbling back, a task much harder than he thought it would be.

"What were you thinking about anyways?" he asked. "You were daydreaming or some shit."

Despite the chilly breeze, Danny's cheeks grew hot. How long had Charlie been there? Worry gnawed at the pit of his stomach. Had he really been that far out of it? What if he'd spoken some of his thoughts out loud? Charlie could have heard something he wasn't supposed to. 

It didn't seem like he had. He just gazed at Danny patiently, head still cocked to the side a little like a cute puppy. 

"Just..." Danny averted his gaze, finding the words but then losing grasp of them. Damn it, Charlie really knew how to make him feel things he wasn't used to feeling. "Nothing."

"Really?" Charlie raised a fist and knocked it lightly against the side of Danny's head. 

Danny frowned and slapped Charlie's hand away, causing the lead rapper to chuckle. "The fuck was that for?"

"Your brain didn't seem empty to me."

Danny raised an eyebrow. "What drugs are you on?" 

"C'mon, just tell me what's on your mind. The Danny Murillo can't think of a single lyric for a song? Are you even him?"

Danny rolled his eyes, but he couldn't help but smile. "I just couldn't concentrate. I was about to head back in." 

Charlie hummed thoughtfully.

"What?"

"Nothing. Just... would you mind repeating what you were singing earlier?"

"What I was--?" Danny raised a hand to the back of his neck. He let out a nervous laugh. "What was I singing?"

Charlie shrugged. "Something about needing something to believe in."

"Oh, right. That." Danny dropped his gaze, shifting. He knew exactly what he was talking about. It was strange how Danny knew the made-up lyrics word for word when he had barely been paying attention at the time. 

He took a deep breath, fluttering his eyes closed. "Give me something to believe in. Do you suffer just the same? Just give me something to believe in." He paused, now feeling embarrassed he was singing something to Charlie he knew was meant for him. 

If Charlie had any idea, he didn't show it. "Keep going..."

"As the world walks away..." Danny licked his lips, feeling silly. "Is it too much to take? Is it too much to say? So as long as I am breathing, I need something to believe in..."

Silence hung in the air. Danny shifted uncomfortably. He didn't like it. That was what that silence meant. Charlie didn't like it, and he was going to reject the lyrics and suggest something else. God, Danny should have just kept his mouth shut. Why was he so stupid? 

Charlie moved closer, now as far away as two high school sweethearts at a school dance when the chaperones are watching them like hawks. Danny inhaled sharply, a million butterflies fluttering around his stomach. 

"I didn't know you could improv." Charlie spoke in a soft tone, sending Danny's heart beating faster than he thought he could handle. 

"I can't," Danny breathed. 

Charlie chuckled, patting Danny's chest. "You gotta give yourself more credit, Danny. Believe in yourself."

"That's... a lot harder than you think it is."

The smile slipped from Charlie's face. He took a step back. "Why?"

Danny blew out a deep breath. Ignoring the question, he asked, "Am I annoying?"

Charlie shook his head, face scrunched up in confusion. "What --? Danny, where the fuck did that come from?"

Danny shrugged. "Sometimes I feel like I come off as annoying."

Charlie stepped forward again, resting a hand on Danny's arm. He squeezed slightly. "You're not annoying, Danny. You never could be. Not to me, at least. Can't say much about Johnny." He offered a smile to show he was kidding, and Danny managed a small chuckle in return. "Your head is a strange place, Danny, and I can admit I don't quite understand it. But I do know that you're stronger than whatever voice inside of your head is making you think you are."

Danny opened his mouth to thank him, but the only thing that came out was a shuddering breath. Charlie was too good to him. He didn't deserve to have someone like him in his life.

"Let's head back in," Charlie said. "We've got a song to finish."

Danny only nodded and followed Charlie back inside. The instrumental of their song was playing in the studio, and Johnny was quietly rapping along, testing how it sounded. Funny and J-Dog danced around the space, hands clasped together, both laughing hysterically. 

Danny picked up his notebook off the ground and plopped back down on the couch. He tapped his pencil on the paper, nibbling the bottom of his lip. 

"Will you guys shut the fuck up?" Johnny snapped, glaring at Funny and J-Dog. 

The two instantly fell silent, looking at each other with wide eyes and dropping their hands to their sides. But when Johnny turned back to the music, grins broke out on their faces and they snickered quietly. 

Danny pursed his lips. Fuck it, he thought with a shake of his head. Charlie appreciated the lines he'd come up with outside. He decided to keep them, whether he thought they were his best or not. He didn't, but that was just him being hard on himself again. 

Funny plopped down beside Danny, and J-Dog sat himself on the arm of the couch. 

"Did the break inspire you?" Funny asked, eyes flicking down towards the notebook briefly. 

Danny hesitated, then nodded. "Yeah. You could say that." 

Jay leaned an arm against Danny's shoulder. "What did you and Charlie talk about?" he asked, and fuck, he already knew. Danny wasn't dumb. 

He shrugged anyways. "Not much."

"Really?" 

Danny groaned, shooting to his feet. "They're just lyrics. They're not about Charlie, if that's what you think."

He crossed over to where Johnny and Charlie were and tossed the notebook on to the table beside the computer. Softly spoken words came from behind him, and Danny tensed. They were talking about him, for sure. He couldn't make out the words, though, but he knew it was about him. Did they know about his crush on the lead rapper?

Was he that obvious? 

Danny glanced over to Charlie, who was nodding his head along to the music, eyes closed, lips parted slightly, and Danny's breathing quickened by an unnoticeable amount. 

Was he obvious? Could Charlie tell? He didn't show it if he could. Charlie could secretly hate him, could be putting on a show for Danny, giving him false hope. Would he really do that? Charlie was a nice person. Sure, he acted cocky and like a major dick sometimes, but he was an overall good person. Danny would be devastated if Charlie one day told him that he never liked him, even as a friend. 

Great. He was going to have nightmares about that now.

"Danny."

Yeah. They were talking about him. That was his name.

"Daniel Rose Murillo."

Danny blinked. It was Charlie, waving a hand in front of his face, eyebrows furrowed together. So they weren't talking about him then. 

"Uh, hey. What's up?"

Charlie grinned. "I was about to ask you the same thing. You were staring."

Danny rubbed the back of his neck. "Oh, sorry." 

Charlie opened his mouth to respond, but before he could get anything out, Danny asked, "So how's the song coming along?"

"Good," Johnny grunted, bent over his notebook, correcting some line he didn't like. He groaned in frustration, erasing what he had just written down hard enough Danny thought he would tear the paper. 

Danny had the urge to ask if everything was really good, but he swallowed the words before they could come out. He didn't want to witness Johnny's bad side when directed at him. 

Johnny threw the pencil down, spinning on his heel, a smile plastered on his face. "Who wants pizza?"

J-Dog, who had laid himself across Funny in an attempt to suffocate him, shot up at the word pizza. "I do!"

Funny shoved Jay off him. He crashed on to the ground with an almost unnerving thud. It would be cause for concern if Jay hadn't shot to his feet immediately after. 

So the group walked to the nearest pizzeria, all of them goofing off and gaining odd looks from strangers. All of them except Danny, who lagged behind a couple feet, hands stuffed in his hoodie pocket. The day had been all sorts of weird for him, starting with that morning when he'd received a text from his ex, who hadn't spoken a single word or sent a single message to him since they'd parted ways, asking if he wanted to grab a drink with her, in which he had responded, after fifteen minutes of arguing with himself, that it wouldn't be the best idea if they did. Unadmittedly he still felt a little guilty. 

Then there was the whole Charlie Scene fantasy, which had thrown him off guard because Danny wasn't one to slip into fantasies, and he'd had multiple throughout the day. 

Damn, he was fucking hot, though. 

"Daaaaaaaaanny!"

Danny raised his head and smiled when he saw J-Dog clinging onto Funny's back, a grin on his face. 

"Danny, get on my back!" Jay shouted.

"I don't think that's gonna work."

"Daaaaaaaanny!"

"We'll topple over!"

"Get on!"

Danny groaned and shook his head. "You guys are ridiculous. I'm not doing it." 

Jay pouted, looking at Danny with wide puppy eyes that he would normally give into, but he only shrugged with an apologetic look. 

Yeah, it was definitely a weird day for him. 

"Onward then, my good steed!" Funny exclaimed as he picked up his speed to a run. 

"You're the steed!" 

Johnny scoffed, a small smile masking his fake irritation. "I'm surrounded by idiots."

Charlie slung an arm over Johnny's shoulder. "You love these idiots."

"Only one." And then he turned his head and pecked Charlie's cheek. 

Danny rolled his eyes, something turning his stomach and making him feel sick. Was he jealous? No, he couldn't be. He'd never been jealous of Charlie's joke relationship with Johnny before because he knew that was all it was -- a joke. 

"Get a room, you two," Danny said, trying to joke around. It came out harsher than he'd intended, and he instantly regretted opening his mouth. 

"Aw, you'll always be our little bitch, Danny," Charlie said, crossing over to tussle his hair. 

Danny couldn't help but laugh, ducking out of Charlie's reach. He flipped him off. 

"Later," Charlie said and winked. 

Danny's eyes widened in shock as he turned away, and a blush crept onto his face. He opened his mouth, closed it, then managed to say, "Better ask your boyfriend first."

Charlie chuckled. "Johnny?"

"Yeah, sure." He wrapped an arm around Charlie's waist and pulled him into his side. He nuzzled into the lead rapper's neck. "As much as I'd love to keep you to myself." 

"Oh, stop it. You agreed to the terms and conditions." 

"No one reads the terms and conditions," Danny grumbled, dropping his gaze. 

An arm snaked around his waist, and he found himself squashed against Charlie. 

"Johnny's just messing with you, Danny," Charlie said, gently knocking his head against Danny's. "You know he loves to share." He leaned down so his lips were inches from his ear. "He has committment issues."

Johnny reached over and smacked Charlie upside the head. "Asia would say differently."

Charlie pouted. "See. He's already moved on." He sighed mournfully. "He doesn't love me anymore."

Danny chuckled. "Goofball."

The five ordered an extra large pepperoni pizza and sat down in a booth at the far back of the pizzeria -- J-Dog, Funny, and Danny on one side and Charlie and Johnny on the other. 

Danny was unusually silent during lunch, only smiling and providing short answers when he was addressed. It wasn't until they got back to the studio that Danny's unusual behavior was acknowledged. 

By everyone. 

Seriously. It was like some kind of intervention. 

As Danny crossed over to the table, thinking he could help Johnny with lyrics, the others situated themselves on the couch. Danny turned around, face contorting in confusion. 

"Uh..." Danny blinked and scratched the back of his head. They were staring at him, and he grew increasingly uncomfortable and worried. "What's... going on?" 

"Danny," Funny said from his spot on top of the back of the couch, "we're worried."

Danny crossed his arms, eyebrows furrowing close together. "Yeah, me, too..."

"We noticed you're acting different," Johnny said. "Is everything okay?"

For a moment, Danny stood in silence, trying to comprehend what was happening. As subtly as possible, he pinched his arm, cursing under his breath when he didn't suddenly jolt awake. 

"I'm sorry, what the fuck is going on? And when did you have time to discuss my well-being when I wasn't in ear shot?" 

"Danny, if..." Charlie paused, licking his lips in thought. "If you aren't feeling like yourself, if you're sad about something or nothing at all, tell us."

Tell us. Not you can tell us. Just tell us. Danny appreciated how straight-forward he was. 

"Is everything okay?" Johnny asked again. 

"Yes! Everything is fine. I'm not depressed, if that's what you think."

"Something's up," J-Dog said. "We just wanted our Danny back."

Danny's jaw tensed. He shook his head and turned back around to the table. He rested his hands on the surface and took a deep breath.

"Danny?"

"Maybe we should forget about this --"

"No." Danny straightened and turned back around. "No, you're right. I've been not myself today. Everything's been weird today, but the weirdest thing about today, I think, is the fact that I can't seem to get this one person out of my head." 

His friends grew silent after his outburst. They looked at each other, then back to Danny. 

"And I mean they've... they've made their home up here." He tapped the side of his head with his knuckles. "It's so frustrating, too, because it doesn't matter what I'd do, he doesn't like me back."

Silence. 

"How can you be sure?" Charlie asked, shifting. 

Danny averted his gaze. "Because, I... I just am."

He barked out a laugh. "That's a stupid reason. Did you try asking him out?"

"It's complicated, Charlie."

"Is it now?"

When Danny raised his head, Charlie was standing only a few feet away from him. He pressed his lips together and nodded. 

"Is it complicated because you're afraid?" Charlie asked. "Because you're afraid of losing someone close? Or because you're afraid of making things awkward? Or you're afraid of what he might say?"

Danny's heart leapt in his throat. "H-he? I never sa-"

"I can feel you staring, you know," Charlie pointed out. Oh shit. "And I can tell how flustered you get, and it's cute, it is, but I don't think you can avoid confrontation forever."

"Maybe not, but I can try."

"So you're not denying it," Charlie said, a smile flickering on his face. 

"Deny-denying...?" 

"That you like me." 

Danny couldn't answer. The words lodged in his throat, and he stared wide-eyed, lips parted as he fought to say something. Anything. 

"I-I don't like you."

"Yes, you do." That was Funny Man. Johnny reached over and punched his arm. "Ow! What the hell, man?" 

"Shut up," Johnny said. 

Charlie chuckled, seemingly unfazed by the extra comment. "Danny... you practically gave it away when you said you can't get someone out of your head." 

"I could be talking about Reese."

Charlie shrugged. "You could be. But you're not." 

Danny sucked in a shaky breath. God, fuck his life. He really was obvious, wasn't he? And now what? This could go one of two ways: Danny could admit that he liked him a lot and Charlie would say he felt the same way and they would kiss and everything would be fine. Or Danny could admit he liked Charlie and Charlie would laugh in his face and hate him for the rest of his life. 

Charlie offered a small smile, sending Danny into an anxious frenzy. Was he about to get rejected? Was this the end of him? He was going to have to quit the band and move to the other side of the world, change his name, dye his hair. 

"Danny?" 

Danny blinked, pulled out of his dramatic monologue. Charlie had moved closer, and now he had a hand firmly resting against Danny's arm. 

"You don't have to worry so much," Charlie said. "What was it you had said earlier? 'So as long as I am breathing, I need something to believe in.' " 

"Charlie, I --"

"Let me be that something you believe in, Danny." 

A smile crept onto his face. "I... Charlie..." He giggled, shaking his head. "That was so --"

"Cliché?" Charlie dropped his hand, frowning. "Yeah, I'm never saying that shit again."

"No, I..." Danny took a deep breath, gathering all the courage he could, and leaned in to kiss Charlie on the lips. Cheers erupted from the couch, but Danny paid no mind as Charlie cupped his cheeks in his hands and returned the kiss passionately, like he'd been waiting just as long as, if not longer than, Danny. He only pulled away when he needed to breathe. "Charlie... you're the only thing I want to believe in." 

"I knew it," J-Dog said, and both Danny and Charlie looked over. "I knew those lyrics were about him." 

"Jay?" 

J-Dog smiled innocently, then stuck his tongue out when Danny flipped him off. 

"Okay, well. Now that that's over," Johnny said, sliding off the arm of the couch, "I'm going to touch up on the music." 

Danny turned back to Charlie with a smile, all his worries from throughout the day seemingly too small now. "So does that make us boyfriends?"

"Hm... take me to dinner first." Charlie winked subtly, but enough to cause a skip in Danny's heartbeat. 

"Okay." Danny nibbled his bottom lip in consideration. "Does tonight at eight work for you?"

"Eager." Charlie pressed a kiss to Danny's cheek, and when he pulled away, he winked. "Eight is perfect."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had no idea where this was going the entire time I was writing this, if I'm honest. But, if I'm still being honest, it's cute and I really like where it ended up in the end. Leave a comment or just give it a like if you enjoyed this one shot. A little bit of love is always appreciated


	9. Bad Moon (FM/CS)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Funny is a werewolf and is scared about Charlie finding out, but what happens when he does?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It feels like forever since I posted a one shot. I've been working on this one, though. I don't think it's my best, but eh, whatever. Anyways, I think I might take a small break from these one shots to work on my new story Broken Dreams. If you haven't already, go and check it out! It's a Danny Murillo fanfiction, and it's gonna be really good. 
> 
> Hopefully.

"Fuck," Funny panted, wiping his mouth. He rose to his feet, shaking as badly as if he'd just woken up from a century long nap. To be honest, he'd rather have just woken up from a century long nap than suffer through another night of endless extreme stomach pains and feverish chills. It had gotten to the point where Charlie insisted nearly every hour that they visit the hospital -- or, rather, the ER. 

But Funny would not have it. Why? Because he knew what the problem was, and there was nothing an X-Ray or a useless prescription could fix. He wasn't sick. Well, he was, but not a normal sick. This sick left him frail and cold and constantly in pain. It didn't go away in a couple days or gradually fade over time. It stayed, and it stayed for a week, and maybe a half. It stayed until the glowing silver moon, round and full, made its appearance in the sky. 

It wasn't a normal sickness because he wasn't a normal human. 

"Funny?" The gentle, worried voice of his boyfriend came from the other side of the bathroom door. Funny sighed, weakly pushing the flush. He lowered the lid, losing grip last minute and wincing as the lid slammed against the seat. The door creaked open slowly to reveal Charlie on the other side, one hand on the knob, his hip leaning against the doorway. "Sick again?"

Funny turned away and to the sink. "I've been sick, Charlie," he said, turning the faucet. He quickly washed his hands, avoiding his reflection in the mirror. He already knew what he looked like, and he knew it wasn't any good at the moment. 

"If you just go to th--"

"No." The single word came out harsher than intended, and as Funny looked over, he saw Charlie flinch back. "I'm sorry... I just... I'm fine."

"Baby..." 

"I promise."

Charlie frowned. "Funny, you look like shit. And I know you feel like shit, too. And this has been going on for -- what? A week? Two weeks?"

Funny rubbed the back of his neck. "Something like that."

"What's going on? This happened last month, too. And the month before that you avoided me altogether." 

They had only just started dating a couple months ago. It might seem fast, but they moved in together within three weeks of going out. At the time it seemed like a wonderful idea, but now Funny almost regretted the decision. He had completely disregarded his sickness when he'd agreed to moving in with his boyfriend. He loved Charlie, but he knew he would freak out if he found out about Funny's other side. 

Funny pressed his lips together. Charlie eyed Funny expectantly, and he felt sicker than before. Clearing his throat, he passed Charlie through the doorway. 

"I'm gonna head to bed," he muttered. He was pulled to a stop before he could get far. Charlie's hand gripped his wrist tightly -- out of fear rather than anger. Funny snapped his head around, his blood boiling. He didn't know why he was so angry. "Can't you just leave it alone, Jordan? I feel fine."

Charlie's eyes widened, and his grip lessened, but he didn't let go. Funny didn't pull away, either. "You just threw up! How can you say you're fine?"

"Because I am!" Funny snarled. To his ears, his voice sounded dark. 

"Funny, I love you," Charlie said, "and I hate to see you hurt yourself like this. Please, just tell me what's going on."

Funny set his jaw. He yanked his arm from Charlie's grip, holding it close to his body to prevent getting grabbed again. "Just drop it." 

Charlie opened his mouth to argue, but he immediately snapped it shut, recoiling. Funny spun on his heel and hurried to the bedroom, swinging the door shut behind him with more force than he had intended. It rattled against the frame like a herd of elephants were charging right past. Funny heard a quiet whimper from Charlie, like he was trying to contain the sound with great difficulty. 

God dammit. Funny hadn't meant to scare him. Something had washed over him, some blind rage that took control. But he hadn't been angry at Charlie. No, he was terrified, and that fear had taken form as anger. 

Charlie had dropped it, though. There was no knock at the door, no barging in, no pleading or begging on the other side. 

His reaction. Charlie wasn't afraid of much, but something about Funny had shut him up immediately. 

Funny crossed over to the dresser. Above the dresser against the wall was a mirror. He gripped the edge of the dresser and leaned forward. He looked like death. His skin was a sickly pale, shimmering with sweat. His hair, frizzy and all over the place, stuck to his face. His lips were dried and cracking. But his eyes were the worst part. Bags underlined his eyes, making him appear as if he hadn't slept for days. They were puffy and red where they were supposed to be white.

His irises were dark, and they glinted with a hunger that scared Funny. He'd never seen himself in this state before, and he hated it. 

He tore his gaze away and fell onto the bed. What was he going to do? There was no way he could get past Charlie in the middle of the night, even if he were fast asleep. He was a deep sleeper, but lately he'd been on alert. Every time Funny slipped out of bed in the middle of the night, Charlie woke up to make sure everything was okay. That was sweet, but it wasn't something Funny needed at the moment. 

Because that night was the full moon, and if Funny didn't allow his inner beast to be awoken before the night ended, he could fall terribly ill with a high chance of dying. 

So there he had it, then. He had to sneak out as soon as Charlie was fast asleep.

And that was exactly what he did. Although it proved to be difficult. At some point Charlie had snuggled into Funny, tangling their legs together and burying his head into the crook of his neck. Getting out of that situation without waking him up wasn't going to be an easy task. 

Funny carefully unwound their legs and moved Charlie's arm off his waist. He slipped out of the hold, pushing himself into a sitting position. Charlie shifted and mumbled something incoherent. Funny quickly grabbed his pillow and put it in place of himself, and Charlie sighed, hugging the pillow close. 

Funny slid out of bed. He wobbled, nearly fell, but found his balance. When he was positive he could walk on his own, he padded across the bedroom, grimacing at every creak. 

His vision was impeccable despite the darkness, so he navigated down the hall and through the living room with no problem. That was one of the good things about his situation, Funny found. It made it fairly easy for him to get out without stubbing his toe or bumping his hip into the coffee table. 

He reached the front door, could see the moon poking out behind the trees. They lived in a fairly secluded house, surrounded by woods. Funny's choice. Charlie had questioned it at first, but he gave in at the idea of privacy and peace and quiet. 

The moon seemed to call for him, and he craved to bathe himself with the natural glow, to sing it to sleep like a toddler. 

"Funny?" 

Funny jumped, one hand outstretched. He dropped it to his side and spun around. A tired Charlie stood in the hallway, partially blocked by the shadows. 

"Go back to sleep, Charlie."

Charlie ignored him. "What are you doing?"

"Just stepping outside for a bit."

"Okay." Charlie didn't move, continued staring at Funny. 

"Go back to sleep," Funny repeated. 

Charlie stepped forward instead. He didn't stop moving until he stood directly in front of Funny. He took a step back, rammed into the door. 

"Stay away," he murmured. One hand fumbled for the door knob. 

Charlie blinked, face falling. "What's wrong?"

"Please just stay away from me."

Charlie's eyebrows furrowed. But he didn't move away. He reached out a hand, traced Funny's jawline. 

"Charlie..." he breathed.

"What's going on?"

Funny closed his eyes. His breath hitched, heart racing at full speed. "Charlie, don't. You don't want to see me right now."

"You're acting weird."

"I know..."

"Why can't you tell me?"

"I can't... please understand." He twisted the knob slowly. 

"You can tell me anything," Charlie said. 

Funny opened his eyes to find himself staring into beautiful blue ones. "I can't tell you this." 

The door clicked open. With his other hand, Funny shoved Charlie off him, who stumbled away, eyes wide with hurt and confusion. 

"Stay away," Funny warned, and when Charlie didn't move, he shouted, "Stay away!" 

He opened the door the rest of the way and stepped out. He tilted his head up towards the moon, closing his eyes. 

"Funny? What's going on? Why can't you tell me?" The questions spilled out one after the other, laced with desperation and fear. 

Charlie was scared. And he had to watch as his boyfriend transformed in front of him, replaced by a hairy beast he only knew existed in fiction. 

A werewolf.

A fucking werewolf. 

Funny sniffed the air, catching a whiff of fear. He opened his mouth and let out a long howl. When he was done, he lowered his head and whirled around. 

Charlie stumbled back, eyes wide. Fear coursed through his body. Funny could smell it. He bared his teeth, a snarl rumbling through his chest. To his surprise, Charlie reached out a hand, slowly stepping forward. He rested his hand on the tip of Funny's nose. Funny only stared at Charlie for a few moments. 

Then he snapped his jaw. 

Charlie retracted his hand. "Oh, okay."

Funny huffed, lips drawn in a snarl. He had a strong urge to tear the man in front of him apart, but the small part of him that was still human fought back hard. 

"Hey," Charlie said softly. Funny snorted, and the lead rapper cracked a smile. "Yeah, you're still in there."

Funny lowered his head, eyes focused intently on the ground as he raged with the hunger. 

"I wouldn't have run away. It's weird, but you're weird, and I haven't left yet." 

Funny's lips slipped up in a smile. He lunged at Charlie, who cried out in surprise as he was pinned to the ground. At first he appeared frightened, like he knew he made a mistake, but then he laughed as Funny nuzzled his nose against his cheek. 

"You may be a werewolf, but you're not bad," Charlie said, raking his fingers through his fur. "Not entirely." 

Funny lifted his head and looked down at Charlie, mouth open in a grin, tongue hanging out. 

Charlie's nose scrunched up. "Your breath is bad, though. Do werewolves brush their teeth by any chance?"

Funny's smile dropped, and he nipped Charlie's ear. He just laughed. 

"Okay, I'm sorry," he said. "But it's true." He frowned then, and pushed himself up. Funny backed up, head tilting curiously. "Why... why didn't you say anything?" 

Funny averted his gaze. 

"Were you scared? Did you think I'd break up with you and never talk to you again?" 

No response, no reaction. 

"You can't help what you are," Charlie said. 

Funny lowered himself down so that he was lying on his stomach, nose between his paws. Charlie offered a small smile and lay down next to him. He snuggled into his werewolf boyfriend's fur, eyes drifting shut. 

....

Funny's eyes snapped open. Beside him, Charlie shifted, mumbling something in his sleep. He looked around, realizing they were outside, lying on the grass. 

Funny shot up, eyes wide, breathing heavily. He vaguely remembered what happened last night. All he knew was that Charlie had found him before he could escape, and Funny had tried to get him away, but he wouldn't leave. Which meant... 

His eyes snapped towards Charlie. 

Oh, no. 

Funny scrambled to his feet. He knew. He knew what he was. Why was he still there, right next to him? Funny could seriously hurt him. He didn't appear injured, but still, anything could happen next month. Or the month after. 

"Good morning..." 

Funny jumped. Charlie slowly sat up and rubbed his eyes. He offered a small, tired smile. 

"Charlie --"

"Before you say anything--" Charlie pushed himself to his feet, rubbing his hands against his pajama pants. "--I know what you are."

Funny groaned. "Shit..."

"But I'm not scared of you," he said, closing in. He rested a hand on Funny's shoulder. "I'm not gonna run away from you."

"Why? I could hurt you, Charlie. I could kill you. I don't want to kill you."

Charlie pressed his forehead against Funny's. "Don't worry about me, Funny. I think I got it handled."

Funny sighed. "You're gonna get yourself killed with a mindset like that." 

"I don't care. I want you, only you, no matter what you are." 

Funny managed a wavering smile. Charlie went in for a kiss, then froze. 

"Your breath really does stink, though," he said quietly. 

Funny rolled his eyes and shoved him off. "Fuck you," he said, flipping him off. 

"Maybe after you brush your teeth," Charlie said as he started for the house.

Funny groaned, following behind. "You're so irritating!"

"You love me!"

Needless to say, Funny was a little more comfortable around Charlie when it came to his condition. There was a constant underlying fear, but he didn't think that was ever going away.


	10. Broken Record (JD/J3T)

No one really noticed anything off with J-Dog. He'd always been on the moody side, even when the band had first started. It came as no surprise to the others when he rejected tagging along to a late night dinner after a very successful concert and was found sound asleep when the boys came back an hour later. Nothing was amiss. They all assumed he had passed out in his bunk not long after they had left. 

It was Johnny who had heard the noises after it seemed like everyone else was asleep. Was that crying? Johnny gritted his teeth, squeezing his eyes shut tightly as he tried to block out the sound. It wasn't that he didn't sympathize. He just... didn't sympathize. And he was tired. 

Sleep slowly started to take over when there was a shuffling from the bunk one below and across from his. J-Dog. 

Johnny mentally groaned. Wasn't he asleep? Maybe he was just rolling over in his sleep. That was possible. Yeah, that made sense. 

He closed his eyes.

More shuffling. A sniffle. A quiet sob, like it was trying to be suppressed. 

Johnny waited, listening for a sound of movement from any of the other bunks. If anyone else woke up, they could solve the source of the problem and leave Johnny to rest.

Unfortunately that didn't happen, and Johnny groaned, this time out loud, and slid out of the bunk. He slowly pulled aside the curtain to J-Dog's bunk. 

"Jay?"

J-Dog gasped, visibly tensing up. He stayed quiet. He was trying to pretend to be asleep, but it wasn't fooling Johnny. Maybe it would Funny Man, but he wasn't Funny Man. 

"Jay, what's up?"

Nothing. Then, choked: "Nothing."

Johnny sighed. "Jay."

Silence. 

"You know I'm a human lie detector." 

"Go away."

Johnny rolled his eyes. "Scoot over." He climbed into the bunk, forcing J-Dog to oblige, though he refused to turn around to look at the older rapper. "What's wrong? And don't even think about saying it's nothing."

Again, he was answered with silence. The childish behavior was starting to bother Johnny. 

"Jay, if you don't fucking talk to me, I'm gonna --"

That got the other's attention. He whipped his head around, glaring at Johnny over his shoulder. "You're gonna what? Stop talking to me? Kill me? Kick me out of the fucking band? There's nothing you can do to hurt me." 

Johnny blinked, extremely taken aback. He recovered quickly, narrowing his eyes. "Snap out of it, J-Dog!" he whisper-yelled. "I don't know what's going on, but it's getting ridiculous!"

Now Jay did fully roll over, seemingly unaware about the minimal space between them. "Yeah, you don't know what's fucking going on, so how about you shut the fuck up and butt out of it?" 

His eyes were cold. But there was something else beyond that -- sadness? Regret? Guilt? Johnny couldn't place it. 

"Just go back to your bunk and leave me alone," Jay muttered. 

Johnny didn't. Jay attempted to shove him off, but he was either too weak or too tired because Johnny barely had to do anything to keep himself on the bed. He rocked a little, but other than that, he was fine. Jay grumbled something under his breath. 

"You were crying," Johnny said. 

Despite the darkness, Johnny noticed the obvious color change in his cheeks. 

"No, I wasn't..."

"I heard it."

Jay averted his gaze. "I don't want to talk about it."

"I'm not going to sleep until you tell me," Johnny threatened. "And you know how I get when I don't get a good night's sleep."

Jay was silent, eyebrows furrowed deep in thought. After several long moments, he sighed heavily, murmuring, "Yeah, I know..."

It almost broke Johnny's heart how fragile Jay looked and sounded in that moment. He had an urge to hug the poor guy, and he shook that thought away.

"Jay..."

His eyes fluttered shut, and for a moment, he appeared asleep. Then he spoke. "I don't know... what's wrong with me, Johnny. I just can't stop."

"Stop what?"

"Any of these evil thoughts." 

Johnny pressed his lips together. He found himself combing his fingers through Jay's sweaty hair, but he didn't stop himself. Jay never pulled away or slapped his hand away yet. Maybe he needed it. The comfort, the silence, somebody to lay down beside him to protect him from all the negative thoughts. Johnny didn't think he could be the guy, but he didn't want to leave Jay alone to torment himself. 

Still, he couldn't comprehend what he'd meant. Evil thoughts? It unsettled Johnny to no end, and he thought he'd never get rest that night. Which wasn't good for any of the band members -- or the crew. 

Beside him Jay shifted. "Johnny?"

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry..."

Johnny frowned. Without thinking, he pressed his lips to Jay's forehead. "There's no reason to be sorry." 

Jay blinked open his eyes, stared up at Johnny for a long moment. Then he did something that left Johnny more confused than ever: he kissed him. 

And went straight to sleep, burying his head in Johnny's chest. Like they were dating. Like it was normal. 

\---

Johnny awoke to a loud thud and a pain that rushed through his arm. He groaned, fluttering his eyes open. He was on the floor, and he realized the noise that woke him up was himself roughly landing on the ground. 

"What the fuck, man?" 

He looked up at the source of the sound and saw Jay leaning over the edge of the bunk, eyes blazing, mouth drawn in a scowl. What the hell was his problem?

Then it hit him. 

Last night... Johnny went to comfort Jay, and Jay kissed him. What was wrong with Jay then? Did he regret the kiss? Did he not remember? 

Johnny pushed himself up to his feet, cradling his arm against his stomach. He didn't think it was broken, so he wasn't all that worried, but it still hurt like a bitch. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Jay didn't answer. He disappeared back in the bunk and yanked the curtain closed. 

Grumbling underneath his breath, Johnny left the bunks, leaving Jay to his own thoughts. _His evil thoughts_. A shiver shot down his spine, and he shoved that thought away. He grabbed an apple out of the fridge and sat down at the table. Da Kurlzz looked up from the leftover pizza he was working on.

"You good?" he asked, nodding at Johnny's arm still pressed against his stomach. 

"I'm fine."

"Did you fall out of your bunk?" That was Charlie. He slid into the booth beside Kurlzz and stole one of his pizzas. Kurlzz looked ready to snatch it back and slap him in the face with it, but he just huffed and angrily took a bite of his own slice. 

So they didn't know he'd slept in Jay's bunk. He wanted to keep it that way. 

"Yeah."

Charlie stifled a laugh, earning a glare from the older male. It didn't stop him. Instead he burst into laughter, and Johnny had to refrain from tossing him out the window. 

Jay walked out of the bunks then. He was shirtless, and Johnny couldn't help but wonder: was he shirtless last night, too? Of course he had been. What kind of stupid question was that? It was just weird how he hadn't seemed to notice at the time. Whether or not he was shirtless under the covers had been the last thing on his mind. 

Why the fuck did it bother him now, then? 

Jay glanced over, the same expression from earlier etched on his face. Johnny told himself to look away, but he couldn't bring himself to do so. His eyebrows knitted together, lips drawn down in a frown. 

"What the fuck are you looking at?" Jay snapped. That shut Charlie up immediately, and he stared at his pizza like it was the most interesting thing in the world. 

"Nothing, I --"

Jay launched forward, grabbing Johnny by his shirt and pulling him close so they were face-to-face. "Don't you fucking lie to me!" he spat. "You think you're the baddest bitch in the band, but you're just as worthless as the rest of us. Might be even more worthless."

A twinge in his heart. "Is that so?"

"Yeah, you don't sing good, and your lyrics are just as bad. There's no reason for you to be here."

"Jay--" Charlie started but was silenced when Kurlzz elbowed him in the side. 

"What the hell happened?" Johnny asked. "Last night --"

Jay scoffed. "Last night was a mistake. You don't mean shit to me. Remember that." 

He let go, and Johnny took that opportunity to get out of the booth. He shoved Jay back against the counter, unsure if he was feeling anger towards the rapper or pain. 

"What the fuck is your problem?" he growled. "You've always been a bit snarky, but this is straight up heartless. I don't even know who you are anymore, Jay."

"I'm not Jay anymore. You should know that."

Johnny scoffed. "This is ridiculous."

Jay swung his fist, connected with Johnny's jaw. Johnny stumbled back, momentarily shocked as he gingerly touched his jaw. Jay lurched forward and wrapped his hands around Johnny's neck. He squeezed. Johnny gasped, clawing at Jay's arms. His vision blurred, black dots flickering in front of his eyes. 

"Jay! You're killing him!" Charlie cried out, rushing over to pull him away before he could kill the rapper. 

Jay spun around and tackled Charlie to the ground, screaming words Johnny couldn't make out. There was a deafening ringing in his ears, and his jaw throbbed horribly. His vision slowly came back, and he saw Kurlzz standing in front of him, hands on his shoulder, mouthing something but not speaking. 

Then all sound rushed back. Kurlzz was asking if he was okay, if his jaw was broken, if he could breathe okay. Jay had Charlie pinned to the ground, throwing punches at his chest, screaming, "I'll kill you! I'll kill you!" over and over again. 

At that point the others had roused and gathered in front of the doors to the bunks. Danny watched with wide eyes, a hand clamped to his mouth. Funny Man was covering poor Danny's ears. 

"I'm okay," Johnny insisted, his voice scratchy. He offered a reassuring smile before it vanished, and he crossed over to the boys on the ground and yanked Jay to his feet. Jay thrashed, eyes pointed at Charlie as he continued threatening the lead rapper's life. Charlie rose to his feet and brushed his hands off on his pants. 

"You need to get your shit together," Charlie warned as Jay calmed down. "One more act like this and you'll be kicked from the band. I don't want to have to do that."

"Do it."

Funny and Danny shared uneasy glances. Jay was testing his luck with Charlie and neither knew why. 

When Charlie didn't answer, Jay scoffed and stormed off to the lounge. Johnny sighed heavily, leaning against the counter. He buried his head in his hands. He was beginning to feel slightly dizzy, and he wondered if maybe he should go back to bed for a couple hours. He almost did, but then something stopped him. 

There was no way he was going to get any sleep. He was worried. Jay was acting extremely weird. Did it have anything to do with last night? Jay had said it had been a mistake, and he knew he meant the kiss, but Johnny had a hard time believing that to be true. 

The look in Jay's eyes... What had it been?

"Are you okay?" 

Johnny lowered his hands and turned around. Danny stood behind him, one hand outstretched. He awkwardly dropped it to his side. 

"Yeah, I'm..." His eyes flickered to the direction Jay disappeared off to. "I'm gonna check up on him."

Danny cocked his head to the side. "Really?"

"After he nearly strangled you?" Charlie asked, the words spitting venom. 

Johnny nodded. "Yeah. I'll be fine. I just... need to talk to him."

"Just be careful," Kurlzz advised.

He nodded again and made his way to the lounge. Jay was curled up on the couch, chin resting on his knees. He was shaking. Johnny rapped his knuckles against the wall. Jay didn't even flinch. 

"J-Dog." 

"Stay away," Jay mumbled, just loud enough for Johnny to make out. 

"I know you didn't mean it."

Slowly, Jay turned his head to look at his friend. He sighed, lowering his legs. "I don't know what happened."

Johnny sat down next to him. "Evil thoughts," he said, tapping Jay's forehead. 

A flicker of a smile crossed his features. "Yeah." He dropped his gaze to his hands, picking at his nails. "I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you."

"I know." 

"Why are you here?" Jay asked, returning his gaze to Johnny. "Why don't you hate me?"

Johnny frowned. He could never hate him, no matter what he did. The thought that Jay believed he deserved to be hated made Johnny sick to the stomach. 

"I...I can't..." Johnny shook his head. 

Jay reached out a hand and lightly touched Johnny's neck. It hurt a little. Definitely bruised, but Johnny could handle a little pain. Besides that was the least of his worries. Jay stared at him with so much pain, so much concern, so much fear. Whatever had taken contol of him earlier was gone. There was no trace of hatred in his eyes. He was the same broken boy from last night. 

"I can't stop myself," Jay whispered, voice thick with tears. "Johnny, I'm scared."

Johnny gave a small nod. "I know."

"Aren't you?"

He smiled softly. No words were necessary; his eyes revealed everything. 

Jay chuckled, a bitter sound from deep in his chest. He pulled away and got to his feet. "I can't... we can't get close, Johnny. Last night --" 

"Was a mistake," Johnny interrupted.

Jay frowned. "--was amazing. Johnny, I don't regret kissing you. I regret who I am."

Johnny hopped off the couch and grabbed Jay's wrist. He expected him to pull away, maybe gift him a black eye, but he didn't. "Don't regret who you are, Jay. Even when what you are isn't you."

"But this is who I am," Jay said desperately, clawing for any excuse to shy away from the others. 

"No, it's not. Jay..." He raised a hand and caressed Jay's cheek. "Don't give in to your thoughts."

Jay ran his tongue along his bottom lip. "It's not that easy..."

Johnny lightly rubbed his thumb against his soft skin. His heart thudded against his chest. He could hear Jay's heavy breathing, felt him shake as he held his wrist. _I don't regret kissing you. I regret who I am_. Those words bumped around his mind. It was like he'd expressed everything through that one sentence. It hurt Johnny as much as it seemed to hurt Jay. It killed him slowly inside, a knife that twisted in a fresh wound every time he thought about it. 

"Johnny...?" 

He snapped out of the trance. Taking a deep breath, he leaned forward and pressed his lips against Jay's. The younger rapper let out a shaky breath into the kiss. 

Then, in a sudden moment of chaos, Jay shoved Johnny off him, scrambling away, eyes wide, chest heaving with heavy breaths. 

"Please," Jay begged, voice cracking. "Stay away." 

"Jay--"

"No!" He couldn't hold it in any longer. He let the tears flood down his cheeks, sobs shaking his body horrendously. "No! You can't save me, Johnny! Don't pretend like you can!"

Johnny risked a step forward. Jay screamed, clapping his hands to the sides of his head. 

"Stay back!" he cried out. Johnny did, the screaming terrifying him more than anything. Jay sunk to the floor, curling into himself. 

The door to the lounge flew open and the other boys rushed in. They didn't have to ask what the problem was as they all immediately spotted Jay cowering against the wall. Danny ran over without a second thought, kneeling beside Jay and quietly talking to him. 

Charlie turned to Johnny. "What did you do?" He wasn't accusing, simply wondering. 

"I-I don't know. We were talking, and then... he just flipped." 

"You didn't hurt him, did you?" Funny asked.

Johnny clenched his fists, blood boiling. "Why the fuck would you ask me that?"

Funny held up his hands. "I'm sorry, man. That was insensitive."

Johnny huffed and turned away, running a hand over the top of his head. He didn't like seeing Jay like this, hated it beyond his understanding. The screams echoed in his mind, raising goosebumps and sending chills down his spine. He wanted to smash his head against the wall until they stopped or he passed out. 

The screaming did stop. Jay was sobbing into Danny's shoulder as the lead singer rubbed his back comfortingly. Nausea formed in the pit of his stomach. He grimaced. Was he jealous? No, he couldn't be. Danny was married.

This wasn't even the time to worry about that. 

"You didn't just talk, did you?" Funny asked quietly, joining Johnny's side. Charlie and Kurlzz had knelt down in front of Danny and Jay, but Johnny refused to get too close. He was afraid to. 

"What do you mean?" 

"You're not telling us something."

Johnny raised an eyebrow. "How is it that you're so fucking dumb yet so smart?"

Funny smirked. "It's a gift." His smile dropped. "So I'm right?" 

"I kissed him."

Funny frowned, shifting his gaze to Jay. "Poor Jay... do you know what's wrong with him? What made him act out like that?"

Johnny hesitated. "Yeah... I-I do. He..." The words lodged in his throat. He swallowed. Maybe that was for the better. Maybe he shouldn't tell him. Or anyone, for that matter. It wasn't his problem to discuss and share with the world. 

"What?"

He shook his head. "Nevermind. I...I'm gonna go."

"But what about Jay?"

Johnny glanced at the others. Jay appeared to be alright now. He was somewhat smiling at least, chuckling at whatever one of them had said. He forced himself to look away, telling himself it wasn't worth getting upset because at least he was better. 

"I think he'll be just fine," he said.

\---

Johnny wasn't fine. He was driving himself up the wall thinking about everything that had happened -- the fight, the screaming, last night's kiss, him kissing Jay, Jay's harsh words, his confession. Everything. 

He sighed, leaning against the rail, looking down at the water below. 

_Worthless_.

 _You don't mean shit to me_.

 _I'm not Jay anymore_.

 _You can't save me, Johnny! Don't pretend like you can_!

 _I just can't stop. Any of these evil thoughts_.

 _Why don't you hate me_?

 _I regret who I am_.

Johnny squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block all the thoughts rattling around. His neck felt constricted. He could still feel Jay's hands squeezing, the pads of his fingers pressing into his skin. 

Part of him wished he had stayed in his bunk and willed himself back to sleep. None of this would have happened. He could have pretended like he hadn't heard anything, would have never confronted Jay about it. 

Oh, who was he kidding? Of course he would confront Jay, whether he wanted to or not. He liked him -- a lot. He couldn't sit back knowing something was wrong. Of course, he could have never expected something as bad as this, either. Jay must have been suffering badly. He couldn't even imagine what kind of things go through his head. It was clear that his actions weren't always controlled by the man Johnny had first fallen for even before Hollywood Undead started. So was he trying to protect him? Jay nearly killed him already, and he didn't doubt the chance that he could attack again. 

"Johnny?" 

He jumped, but he didn't check to see who it was. He knew. He recognized the voice. 

"What are you doing here?"

"Thinking," Johnny said. In his peripherals, he saw Jay stop beside him and mirror his position. "What are you doing here?"

"I was gonna jump."

Johnny looked over then. Jay was staring straight ahead, eyes unfocused, like he was imagining himself down in the water. "But you found me instead."

Jay nodded. It was so brief, Johnny had to wonder if he had just imagined it. "I wonder...if maybe this isn't a coincidence." 

"What do you mean?" 

"I wanted to kill myself."

Johnny inhaled shakily.

"It's funny," Jay continued, "because there are so many ways I could off myself, but I came here. I don't think that's a coincidence." 

"Jay..." 

He scoffed, finally meeting Johnny's gaze. "Don't pity me. I don't need pity. I don't need you to feel sad for me. I'm not gonna do anything."

Johnny was overcome with relief. It weighed heavily, and he had almost forgotten what they were both there for. 

"What... what happened back there?" he asked.

Jay lifted his shoulders in a small shrug. "I don't know... I was scared and... confused. It's all new to me."

"What is?"

"This feeling. After last night, I just -- I knew I wanted you, but when I woke up this morning, I just freaked out." Jay paused, licking his lips in thought. "I'm dangerous -- to myself and to you." 

"And the others?"

Jay sighed. "I don't think my brain understands how I feel about... about you. I think that it deals with it rather...violently because...because it doesn't think I deserve love. Doesn't think I deserve you."

"And it took it out on me because it decided that if it rids of me --"

"It'll rid of its feelings," Jay confirmed.

"I don't get it," Johnny said slowly, thoughtfully. "Why did you attack Charlie then?"

Jay dropped his gaze. He looked ashamed and exhausted. "Because he was trying to stop me." He raised his eyes to Johnny again. "I'm sorry."

"No." Johnny pushed away from the railing and turned to fully face his friend. "No, it's fine. I understand, and... I know you said I can't save you, but let me try."

Jay blinked. "What?"

"Let me try." Johnny took Jay's hands in his. "I don't care how dangerous you are to me. We can work it out, and if we can't, we can break it off mutually and stay friends."

"Johnny..." Jay looked down at their hands. He didn't speak for what felt like forever. Johnny was patient; he waited. Finally, Jay spoke up. "I'm scared... I don't want to hurt you again."

Johnny squeezed his hands. "Don't worry about me. Just let me save you from yourself."

Jay choked out a short laugh. He ducked his head, and Johnny pulled him into a hug as he let out a breathy, "Okay." 

"Jay! J-Dog, man, where the fuck are you?!"

Kurlzz's desperate calls interrupted the moment. They broke from the hug and shared a smile. They turned around as soon as the rest of their friends spotted them.

"Jay!" 

Johnny rolled his eyes as Funny tackled Jay in a hug, but he had to smile. Jay didn't think he deserved their love, but they all cared immensely for him and it showed.

"Come on, guys," Johnny joked as Jay was squished into a group hug -- without him. "What am I? Chopped liver?" 

"Sorry, man," Funny said, glancing his way as the hug ended. 

"Yeah, you want one, too?" Kurlzz asked, stepping towards him with his arms outstretched. 

"Don't you dare," Johnny said.

Kurlzz smirked, taking another step forward. 

"I will not hesitate to throw you in the water."

"Can you throw me in the water?"

"No!" everybody but Jay chorused.

There was a moment of silence within the group, sirens rising and falling in the distance. Jay cracked a small smile and chuckled, breaking the tension in the air. Johnny punched him in the arm. Funny flipped him off. Charlie slung an arm over his shoulders, grinning.

"How does pizza sound?" he asked. 

"Again?" Kurlzz asked as they started their way back across the bridge. 

"Del Taco?"

Johnny scrunched up his nose. "I think I've had my share of their food for the next month."

Charlie sighed. "McDonald's, it is."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I said I was gonna take a break from the one shots but this idea came to me while -- surprise, surprise -- listening to Broken Record, and I really wanted to get it down. 
> 
> Anyways, I have a question for everyone: Would you read a slash fic based on Hotel California by The Eagles and what HU ship would you like to see it be based on? If you haven't heard the song, I highly recommend it. Also if you haven't yet, go check out my new fic Broken Dreams. I don't usually write fanfictions with ocs. It might be the only one, but it's gay and I love it, so check it out! 
> 
> That's all I wanted to say. Please leave a comment. It motivates me to write more and lets me know if you like it and want to read more.


	11. Need You (CS/DM)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentine's Day!!! I wanted to write a cute little one shot for today, and it turned into this! I think it turned out nice. I like it, and I hope you lovely people do, too!

"Did you drunk-dial me?" 

Danny stared at the half-empty bottle of beer on his counter, gnawing at his bottom lip. So it had been his third bottle within an hour, and so he'd called one of his bandmates up just to feel something again -- and it worked; Charlie's voice always left him craving to hear more. "Yeah. No. Well, kind of. I'm still sober!"

"Really?" Danny could hear his raised eyebrow on the other end. 

"I mean, practically! I only had two-and-a-half beers and my thoughts are still coherent," he said. "That counts for something, doesn't it?" 

Charlie chuckled. "I guess."

"Is that Danny you're talking to?" Randi's muffled voice came through the speaker. Danny felt a sharp jab in his stomach. He didn't hate Randi. They'd hung out several times before and got along quite well. But it was the thought of Randi and Charlie together.... "Tell him I said hi!"

"Randi says hi," Charlie repeated, and Danny couldn't help but smile. 

"Hi, Randi!" he called out, giggling when Randi yelled hey back. "What are you doing anyways? You know, it's Valentine's Day. Any nice dates planned?"

"Nah," Charlie said. "We're just chilling right now. Randi just made the both of us a hot chocolate." 

Danny fell silent then. He absentmindedly fingered the beer can, fighting between hanging up and staying on. He was sure a couple drinks would give him the confidence he needed, but now that he thought about it, he would need a lot more beers. He needed to be shit-faced. 

"Danny?" Charlie's voice broke through his throughts, and he sounded concerned now, and Danny needed him. "What's up?"

"I need you," Danny said, barely above a whisper. 

There was a long pause. As the seconds ticked, Danny grew more and more regretful, because of course he would scare Charlie off. That was his luck. Charlie had his wife -- his _wife_ , goddamit! -- and here he was, spurting out that he needed him. Like a fucking fool. 

Then there was a noise -- a door closing, then being locked. A long sigh. 

"What did you say?" Charlie asked. 

Danny closed his eyes, shaking his head, only realizing a few moments later that Charlie couldn't see him. "Nevermind. It was nothing. Have fun with Randi. I--"

"No," Charlie interrupted, firm, shocking Danny into silence. "It wasn't nothing, Danny. I know you."

"It's the alcohol speaking, really," Danny tried again. "I didn't mean it."

"That's bullshit."

"Yeah..."

"So what was it?"

Danny sighed, tangling his fingers in his messy hair. "I need you," he said. "I need you here, Charlie. I know...I know you have Randi, and it's Valentine's Day, and you should be with her, and I'm so, so fucking sorry. This is stupid, but I just... I wanted you to know that I really fucking need you right now."

Charlie let Danny get it all out, and when it finally seemed like he was done, he spoke. "Danny...it's not stupid. I...I'll be right there."

"No!" Danny yelled, shocking them both. He cleared his throat. "What about -- what about Randi? She'll be left alone. I don't--I don't wanna do that to her."

A moment of silence as Charlie thought about it, and then: "She'll be fine. Besides, you're more important, Danny."

He hung up then, probably so Danny wouldn't protest. Which was rather clever for Charlie because, yes, there was a protest on the tip of Danny's tongue that he quickly swallowed back when the call ended. 

Fuck. What did he do? Charlie was ditching his own girl for him, and part of him felt giddy over it. And then he just felt guilty and angry at himself. He didn't want to tear Charlie and Randi apart, which was exactly what he was doing. Randi wouldn't be too happy Charlie was leaving her alone for a best friend. Danny knew he wouldn't be if he were in her shoes. 

Danny was still in the same position -- leaning against the counter, hands curled in his hair -- when he heard the front door open, and he knew without a doubt it was Charlie before he even spoke up.

"Danny? Is everything okay?"

"Go back to Randi," Danny muttered.

"After I came all the way here? I don't think so." 

He sighed, pushing away from the counter. Charlie was standing in the doorway of the kitchen, his arms crossed over his chest. He opened his mouth to ask why he came, even though he already knew the answer -- _because you're more important right now_ \-- but he couldn't speak. Instead, he allowed himself to close the space and collapse against his younger friend, burying his face in his chest. Charlie wrapped his arms around Danny, holding him close, and they both just stood like that for awhile. 

"I'm sorry," Danny whispered. 

Charlie squeezed him to tell him it was okay. "Randi doesn't care. She knows how much you mean to me."

Danny pulled away from the hug, managing a small smile. "I can't believe you actually left her, though."

"Why's that?"

"Because it's pathetic." He laughed bitterly, shaking his head. "You have someone to love, to spend today with, and you _love_ her, I know you do, but you came here to spend time with someone who can't get over their pathetic feelings for you."

Charlie frowned. "You broke up with Reese?"

Danny sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "It wasn't working. She was okay with it, though. She knew it wasn't working out."

"Did you tell her you liked someone else?"

"She's on my side, actually." He cracked a smile, tilting his head slightly. 

Charlie nibbled his bottom lip and shifted his weight. Gears were turning in his head -- Danny could practically see them, and he wondered what he could be thinking so hard about. 

It didn't take too much wondering though, as Charlie suddenly swooped in and pressed their lips together. Danny gasped, a million thoughts running through his head. What was he doing? Why was this even happening? This shouldn't be happening. 

He pressed a hand against Charlie's chest and shoved him off, dropping his gaze to avoid looking at him.

"I..." Danny licked his lips. "Charlie..."

Charlie rested his hand on Danny's cheek, cold and perfect. "You want it, don't you?"

He really did. 

"This isn't about me, Charles."

Charlie didn't say anything for a moment. Danny looked up into his eyes, searching. He hadn't been expecting to see so much.... _love_. 

"I want it," Charlie breathed, and his hand moved to the side of his head, fingers tangling in his hair. Danny's heart stuttered, and he was sure for a brief moment that it was going to just stop, that he would die right there in Charlie's arms, and he decided that would be the best way to go. "I want you..." 

Danny swallowed the lump in his throat. "I want you, too. I-I do, but..."

"I know...don't worry about her, though. I've..." Charlie released a deep breath. "I've been meaning to end things with her for awhile. We just --"

"You don't love her like you thought you did?"

Charlie shook his head. "It's not that. I love her, I do, it's just... Danny, please, just forget her. I want you. Not her. Not right now, not today."

He wanted Danny... 

Because Danny was more important.

Danny chuckled breathily, resting his forehead on Charlie's. "I don't even know what to say..."

"You want it, don't you?" Charlie's lips were so close. All Danny had to do was move his face ever so slightly -- and he did, eyes fluttering closed as their lips met once more. This time Danny didn't pull away, neither of them did, not until they both needed air. 

"I do," Danny panted. "I do want it."

They kissed again, this time more passionate and hungry, needy. Charlie slid his hands down to Danny's waist and pulled him against his body. He spun them around and shoved him against the fridge, moving one hand to rest against the surface beside Danny's head. Danny grunted at the sudden movement. He draped his arms over Charlie's shoulders, tilting his head to deepen the kiss. 

It was just like one of his fantasies. No, it was better because it was real life. And Danny never wanted it to end. 

And it didn't, not until Danny found himself pressed up against Charlie under the covers, in his bed, both of them naked and sweaty, and the truth of it all hit Danny in a sudden wave. 

He shot up, tugging the blanket around his body as if Charlie hadn't just seen it all anyways. "Oh, my God..." 

Charlie rolled onto his side and propped himself up on his elbow. "Do you regret it?"

Did he? He supposed he really didn't, and he didn't think Charlie did, either.

He shook his head. "No, I don't regret it. But what about--"

"Randi?" Charlie asked in a sigh. "You're obsessed with her, aren't you?"

Danny lowered himself back down, and he was immediately pulled into Charlie's side. He didn't care; he cuddled closer against him. "It's not like that, and you know it."

Charlie pressed a couple kisses to Danny's neck. "I know," he said, and his breath tickled against his skin. "I'm gonna end things with her tomorrow."

Danny tilted his head to look up at him. "After Valentine's Day?"

"Better than on Valentine's Day."

"I guess..."

"I don't think she's gonna be too upset," Charlie admitted. "She always knew how close we were. She used to joke about us getting together all the time."

Danny rested his head against Charlie's shoulder. "I just don't want her to get hurt, you know? Or to hate me forever."

"She's not gonna hate you forever, Danny," Charlie assured him, rubbing his arm. "I don't think she's capable of it."

That admittedly made him feel a little better. He turned on his side and snuggled into Charlie's chest, and he shivered as Charlie ran his hand up and down his back. 

"Thank you," Danny breathed, letting his eyes fall shut. 

"Of course..." Silence, and then: "Are you gonna fall asleep like this, or do you wanna take a shower first?"

Danny giggled. "I guess we can shower first."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to leave a comment if you liked this and want to see more cute (or angsty/dark) one shots! It motivates to write more! And, if you have any ideas for what you want me to write, feel free to request something! You can request as much as you'd like <3


End file.
